You're probably right about most of this but he has an arrogant attitude that in the end puts a target on his back. Don't expect any of your competitors to respect your program as long as he is at the helm of your row boat.
How long will Fleck stay at Minny?
- Thread starter BigNUFan51
- Start date
Maybe I'm just jealous because more people like him than they do me? Good game on Saturday- I hope we both play well and it becomes an instant classic! Are you all going to be there? There should be some open seats- being that the weather is supposed to be so crappy!
Interesting to see the comments from another community (I came to visit from the Gophers board.) What strikes me the most is the take that he is somehow phony and arrogant. I suppose if you only get small snippets of sound bites it’s easy to make a snap judgement, but I have watched him closely for 10 months, and I have yet to see anything that would indicate he’s playing anybody. Quite the contrary, virtually anyone who has spent any time with him says the same thing: that’s exactly who he is. While he freely admits that he’s not for everyone, there is nothing staged or phony about him. He believes fully in developing all aspects of these 17-22 year old men, and will naturally attract players who are looking for this type of culture. There’s no way to predict how successful he will be, as this is a difficult situation given the local media and their propensity to ridicule all things Gopher related in deference to the pro teams which pay their freight. Given that, he provides us our best chance to rise to the top of an eminently winnable division, maybe for an extended run. If he can establish this in the next 5-7 years, I’m ok if he moves on. But maybe he likes it here and sees it as a great place to raise a family, which seems to be important to him. Time will tell.
There’s no way to predict how successful he will be, as this is a difficult situation given the local media and their propensity to ridicule all things Gopher related in deference to the pro teams which pay their freight.
You get ridiculed in deference to your pro teams? We get ignored in deference to our pro teams and another college team that is not even in the same state.
Trade ya.
You get ridiculed in deference to your pro teams? We get ignored in deference to our pro teams and another college team that is not even in the same state.
Trade ya.
There are some beat writers who do a good job, but the feature guys have to prove how erudite they are by snarkily cutting the Gophers at any chance. Local sports radio is also largely worthless, with grudging coverage by KFAN simply because they have game rights. I hear you regarding the lack of coverage in Chicago. Both situations are frustrating for our fan bases. Which is worse? Six of one......
As the only D1 program in the entire state, Minnesota Administration is now making Minny athletics a long-term University priority for the first time in forever.
Willing to spend big $$ on an Athletic Village and all the goodies that go with it plus paying up for higher level coaching and recruiting.
If Fleck leaves, would likely be for either winning big or mediocre results. If he stays, great...since that implies a vote of confidence by the AD/boosters/fans if the Gophers are in serious West title contention most years.
If he leaves for more $$ and a bigger perch, that's fine because he will have earned it with likely a head-turning record of great success in Gopherland.
Fleck's 5-5 now with two games left. Better than his first year at WMU, but not a barnburner start. Putting up 50+ on the Huskers silenced some pro-town media critics, but that's just one sample success data point going forward.
In any case, Minny has demonstrated that they are willing to pay up for coaching talent that can recruit and the next hot shot coach is always in the wings ready to make his mark in the BIG.
If necessary, no doubt the AD would find the right Fleck replacement and lure him north with a big $$ package.
Willing to spend big $$ on an Athletic Village and all the goodies that go with it plus paying up for higher level coaching and recruiting.
If Fleck leaves, would likely be for either winning big or mediocre results. If he stays, great...since that implies a vote of confidence by the AD/boosters/fans if the Gophers are in serious West title contention most years.
If he leaves for more $$ and a bigger perch, that's fine because he will have earned it with likely a head-turning record of great success in Gopherland.
Fleck's 5-5 now with two games left. Better than his first year at WMU, but not a barnburner start. Putting up 50+ on the Huskers silenced some pro-town media critics, but that's just one sample success data point going forward.
In any case, Minny has demonstrated that they are willing to pay up for coaching talent that can recruit and the next hot shot coach is always in the wings ready to make his mark in the BIG.
If necessary, no doubt the AD would find the right Fleck replacement and lure him north with a big $$ package.
I’m a bit confused by all the disdain that NU fans are displaying towards Fleck. The man wears his heart on his sleeve and he is a charismatic player’s coach but young. Sound familiar? A lot of the same criticism you are sending his way echoes complaints that I’ve seen other big ten fans say about Fitz. Something about the “U rah rah” mentality rubs some people the wrong way. Early in Fleck’s coaching career, he had lunch with Fitz for ideas on how to become a successful coach. His “Row the boat” mantra mirrors NU’s “Trust yourself”. Fleck went to Western Michigan and started dominating the MAC recruiting rankings with his dynamic personality. A few years later, he found sustained success. Minnesota is a better job and I’m sure more pay so I can’t really fault the guy for going there. Who knows how long he will be there. Unlike Fitz, Fleck has no personal ties to Minnesota. If a bigger program with more money came soliciting his services, he may jump ship. He is a talented but young coach. It will be interesting to follow his career.
Curious where you get this. Do you have significant ties within the college football world, or is it simply from other message board posters? Heck of a statement to just throw out there.
His ex wife would disagree with you on the "character issue" as it is well documented
Please elaborate on the facts as you know them? Do you agree with her takes on the coaching lifestyle and why it didn't work?
Not necessarily "facts," but there have been plenty of rumors swirling around about PJ for a while now. For instance:
https://michiganstate.247sports.com...lurking-on-this-board-PJ-Fleck-rumor-31706780
Well, did he or didn't he? Don't just leave us hanging with a thread from 2014.
I mean about the booster's wife. We know the rest of the story, how he divorced and remarried.Well, did he or didn't he? Don't just leave us hanging with a thread from 2014.
I have no idea.
Hmmm, not judging or anything.. but that may not have been a good idea. Keeping the oar inside the pants would be a good lesson to teach the young men. Especially at Minnesota.
I have not been a fan of the guy ever since he backed out of a job he accepted at NIU. I also know that, like many other P5 Head coaches, he has proven himself to be very unscrupulous on the recruiting trail. I've had one person involved in the business compare Fleck to Ron Zook when it comes to his recruiting approach. That was not a compliment.
All we know is what has been documented that his wife divorced him when she was pregnant with child number 3 amid all those rumors prior to that taking place. Will leave it at that
I️ didn’t want to get into that with the minny fan as my info is all third hand. However, Do you know he recruited a player at WMU that had a pending felony charge that he claimed to know nothing of. Might be true, but seems like his background checks were non- existent. Needless to say, a few others got charged with crimes prior to playing a game.
The Media did in fact take shots at him in Chicago for the whole genesis of the “Row the Boat” mantra. I️ didn’t personally have an issue with it, but he got roundly critized on a local sports talk show over it by both hosts.
Didn’t care for the way he treated NIU or how he left WMU either. From everything I️ see and hear, he strikes me as a big time self promoter that would run over his Kin if it meant increasing his profile.
There is a poster on the board that knows him and feels differently, so take it for what it is worth.
He'll recruit anybody and do anything to get a commitment if it helps him win games. Heck, he barely got to Minnesota and he had already committed NCAA recruiting violations in trying to get Robert Spillane to follow him from Western Michigan. The stuff you've heard about on the recruiting trail is just the tip of the iceberg. I could care less about the row the boat stuff. He strikes me as a guy who promotes himself as the all American man next door but his conduct in his personal life, his professional life and on the recruiting trail says quite the opposite. First and formemost these coaches are leaders and role models for young men. How could this guy be a role model when his players see how he conducts himself? If my son were a D1 football recruit, I would not let him play for a guy like Fleck.
Fleck has been extended for one more year. I presume in response to other teams making offers. How odd.
http://www.twincities.com/2017/11/22/gophers-coach-p-j-fleck-receives-contract-extension/
http://www.twincities.com/2017/11/22/gophers-coach-p-j-fleck-receives-contract-extension/
It’s to show potential 2019 recruits that he will be there for their entire time at Minny. After all, their recruiting pitch is that PJ is the savior that will bring the gophers to prominence. 40 years be damned.
Yea prominence as in taking a team that won 9 games and a bowl game to a losing record and staying home for the holidays
What shocked me is how they didn’t even look like they wanted to play last week. Packed it in early. suspect we will see a lot of transfers from the non PJ recruits.
I don't buy this, otherwise every school would always extend contracts after the first year. When is the last time a first-year coach has been extended after doing worse than the previous one?
I didn't realize it, but this will likely be the first time Minny doesn't get to six wins since 2011.
The only thing Minny has to sell is hope. They can’t sell some out if this world academic experience or fabulous history in Football. They sell Fleck and at the first hint of improvement we will start hearing the rumors of him moving on. They will counter the negative recruiting by throwing around that Fleck is under contract for your entire time here at Minny.
Row the Boat!!! How in the heck does Fleck get a pass, takes a team that has appeared in bowl games for 6 consecutive years and takes them to a losing record and shutouts in the last few games. Instead they give the charlatan a contract extension
