Du Quoin native Nick Hill has worn a few different team colors since wearing the Saluki maroon and will now bear the black and white of the Carbondale Community High School Terriers.

On July 18, Hill was named head football coach for the high school. Hill stepped in as the interim coach for the summer camp that began July 15 after former head coach Dan Koester resigned.

Carbondale Community High School superintendent Stephen Murphy said even though they had to fill the position in such a short window of time, he is excited about the hire.

“Luckily, on a tight time frame we had a great candidate in Nick,” Murphy said. “It was a pretty easy choice.”

Before attending SIU, Hill graduated from DuQuion High School in 2003 and spent one year at Western Kentucky University where he played basketball. Hill was successful in football as well as basketball in high school, being named to both first team all-state and first team all-conference in football his senior year. He was also a first-team Illinois Basketball Coaches Association selection his junior and senior year.

Hill played in four games during his first full season with the Salukis. His third year was a productive one as he was named to the Gateway Conference All-Academic first team. He was also ranked seventh in the nation in passing efficiency with a 156.7 rating. Hill and the Salukis lost in the NCAA Division I Football Championship semi-final in 2007 to current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and the Blue Hens of the University of Delaware.

After college, Hill moved on to play for four teams in the Arena Football League and two NFL teams where he was the backup behind Kyle Orton for the Chicago Bears and Aaron Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers.

Hill said it’s exciting to be a head coach because he always wanted to be one and he is happy he chose this as a career path.

He said even though he’s played professional football all over the country, he knew where he wanted to end up.

“I’m from southern Illinois. I love southern Illinois,” Hill said. “I’ve lived all over the country playing professional football and I knew eventually I wanted to get back here.”

University of Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill was Hill’s coach during his time at SIU. Kill said Hill was a great leader, a great football player and a great person.

Kill said he doesn’t think there’s any doubt that Hill can relate to his high school players and knows Hill has a wealth of knowledge about the game.

“He studied the game when he played the game,” Kill said. “He could rally people around him.”

Murphy said Hill was initially named the interim coach after Koester resigned earlier in the summer due to personal and health reasons.

Murphy said he wouldn’t elaborate about Koester’s resignation but he is happy with Hill.

“We’re looking forward with Nick Hill,” Murphy said.