Detroit Free Press: Bald P.J. Fleck brings energy to Minnesota, Big Ten media days

BleedGopher

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per the Free Press:

Fleck looked different. His head was shaved – he said he lost a bet with his wife – but he sounded the same. Before long, both hands were waving, as he got hyped up. He was “rowing the boat” and trying to be “elite. Yes, we have heard this before.

It’s the same spiel he used to transform Western Michigan, building that program since 2013 before converting a 13-0 regular season and a Cotton Bowl appearance into a Big Ten gig.

He bolted out the door, taking with him several WMU coaches, his strength and conditioning coach and a bunch of WMU recruits, including three from the state of Michigan. That’s what happens in college football when a program is used as a stepping stone.

You build it up as fast as you can, then bolt.

What happened to “Row the Boat?” His mantra?

He took that with him, too.

“I don't make any money from the row the boat saying,” Fleck said. “There's a portion that University of Minnesota will take and donate to charity at the Masonic Children's Hospital, which is something that my wife, Heather, and our family really feel strongly about that we would like that to be able to happen.

“I've learned a lot. John Cunningham, Mark Coyle, our athletic director and assistant athletic director, have done a tremendous job of educating me, our licensing department to make it all fit. So we're very lucky to have it. I love being able to bring it with us. I'm very thankful that Western Michigan was allowing us to bring our personal mantra but also a mantra we wanted to share with our entire community, to connect our community to our program, whether they like football or not.”

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/c...ta-p-j-fleck-michigan-jim-harbaugh/508660001/

Go Gophers!!
 

per the Chicago Tribune with the same take on Fleck's bald head:

P.J. Fleck energized the interview room at Big Ten media days early Tuesday morning, sounding more like an auctioneer than a football coach.

Minnesota’s new man also is getting attention for his look. His hair is all but gone.

“I just buzzed my head,” he told the Tribune. “I didn't have much hair to begin with. My wife (Heather) has wanted me to do it for about a year now. She said, ‘Don't be one of those guys that 10 years from now people are saying: “Man, he needs to cut his hair but he won’t — no pun intended — part with it.”’

“I said: ‘If I'm doing it, the boys (sons Gavin and Carter) are doing it.’ So we shaved our heads at Disney World. I can't believe how much attention it got.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-bald-big-ten-media-days-20170725-column.html

Go Gophers!!
 




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