LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KTSM) – New Mexico State football head coach Jerry Kill found himself sitting in a chair inside Tat Reapers Tattoo, a tattoo studio in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Sunday.
The reason Kill was there was because he was ready to follow through with a bet that he had made with his 2022 New Mexico State football team in the week leading up to the Quick Lane Bowl last December.
“They were kind of dragging a little bit, so I called them all up and said, ‘here is the deal, if you win this bowl game, I respect this team so much and what you’ve done, I’ll get a tattoo on my arm,” Kill said. “They all just went crazy.”
New Mexico State said ‘bet’ and went onto to grab a 24-19 win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, Michigan on Dec. 26.
The Aggies (7-6) stayed undefeated all-time in bowl games (4-0-1) and got head coach Jerry Kill his first bowl victory as a head coach in his first year at NMSU.
Almost 60 days after NMSU’s bowl game win, Kill was ready to get a NMSU-themed tattoo that was dedicated to the 2022 team. After almost three hours of work, the tattoo was complete, and it’s one that Kill will remember forever.
“It’s honoring a group of young men that did some things that probably nobody, including their head coach, didn’t know if they could do it,” Kill said. “It is a good way to honor them and a good way to remember them. Believe me, I would not have made the bet if I didn’t think it was special.”
Jerry Kill and New Mexico State will start gearing up for the 2023 season soon. The Aggies are schedule to begin spring ball practices Mar. 21. The Spring Game is scheduled for Apr. 20.
