BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 60,765
- Reaction score
- 16,158
- Points
- 113
per Fenton:
His time and message are now in demand, but mailing it in on speaking engagements doesn’t appear to be his style.
While most in the coaching ranks would run for the hills when asked to speak to the media, he approached it like he does his coaching by embracing the challenge.
“I’m a little bit nervous just so everybody knows,” Fleck said to open his speech. “When Heather told me I was going to speak to all of you, I said ‘I’m speaking to who?’ She said ‘Yeah, all the reporters and newspapers in the state.’ I was like, ‘You want me to speak to them about our culture, and you know every single one of them will have a recorder and everything I say will be reported on?’”
Fleck was joking to lighten the mood, as he did several times, including stories about his mother taking him to the family doctor to find out “what is wrong with this kid” and his youngest daughter being a bit of a handful.
He talked about “Row the Boat” stemming from the death of his infant son and the difficulties of recruiting athletes from the southern U.S. because of the weather.
“Official [recruiting] visits in June have helped,” Fleck joked.
Fleck captivated the audience, enthusiastically explaining his philosophies and what he wants out of his program.
He was called too small and too short to succeed in football, but he won back-to-back state championships at Kaneland Park High School in Maple Park, Illinois, and was the leading receiver as a senior at Northern Illinois.
He signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent and spent most of the 2004 season on the practice squad before finally appearing in the season-finale on special teams.
His NFL career lasted 2 1/2 years, leading to a quick start to his coaching career. At every level, Fleck said he was told “you can’t do that.” It’s obvious he didn’t like that label.
One of Fleck’s main recruiting tools includes a leadership wall that depicts many of his heroes. It includes the likes of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey and Jackie Robinson.
He asks potential recruits to talk about their lives from birth until now before asking them to identify people on the wall.
“That’s all I do,” Fleck said. “I’ve had players say that Jackie Robinson was Barry Bonds. If you think that’s Barry Bonds, we’ve got a problem. I am not for everyone. There are certain reporters in the state who have hated me from day one and even after 11 wins, they still hate me. Not only that, they hate me more.
“I’m not here to be liked. I’m here to be respected by the job that I do and to be loved by my players. If you’re not 16-22, you’re going to have a difficult time understanding me. You’re not my demographic. When I’m doing things that are out there, it fits with the young people. It’s not an act. The one thing I love about our culture is I get to be exactly who I am.
“I took the job at the University of Minnesota, to be honest, to be legendary. I didn’t take the job to be average. I didn’t take the job to not promise you anything. I took the job to make sure this city gets a championship, and we were two quarters away from doing that.”
He’s off to a good start, and long-suffering Gophers fans are hoping it continues.
www.hometownsource.com
Go Gophers!!
His time and message are now in demand, but mailing it in on speaking engagements doesn’t appear to be his style.
While most in the coaching ranks would run for the hills when asked to speak to the media, he approached it like he does his coaching by embracing the challenge.
“I’m a little bit nervous just so everybody knows,” Fleck said to open his speech. “When Heather told me I was going to speak to all of you, I said ‘I’m speaking to who?’ She said ‘Yeah, all the reporters and newspapers in the state.’ I was like, ‘You want me to speak to them about our culture, and you know every single one of them will have a recorder and everything I say will be reported on?’”
Fleck was joking to lighten the mood, as he did several times, including stories about his mother taking him to the family doctor to find out “what is wrong with this kid” and his youngest daughter being a bit of a handful.
He talked about “Row the Boat” stemming from the death of his infant son and the difficulties of recruiting athletes from the southern U.S. because of the weather.
“Official [recruiting] visits in June have helped,” Fleck joked.
Fleck captivated the audience, enthusiastically explaining his philosophies and what he wants out of his program.
He was called too small and too short to succeed in football, but he won back-to-back state championships at Kaneland Park High School in Maple Park, Illinois, and was the leading receiver as a senior at Northern Illinois.
He signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent and spent most of the 2004 season on the practice squad before finally appearing in the season-finale on special teams.
His NFL career lasted 2 1/2 years, leading to a quick start to his coaching career. At every level, Fleck said he was told “you can’t do that.” It’s obvious he didn’t like that label.
One of Fleck’s main recruiting tools includes a leadership wall that depicts many of his heroes. It includes the likes of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey and Jackie Robinson.
He asks potential recruits to talk about their lives from birth until now before asking them to identify people on the wall.
“That’s all I do,” Fleck said. “I’ve had players say that Jackie Robinson was Barry Bonds. If you think that’s Barry Bonds, we’ve got a problem. I am not for everyone. There are certain reporters in the state who have hated me from day one and even after 11 wins, they still hate me. Not only that, they hate me more.
“I’m not here to be liked. I’m here to be respected by the job that I do and to be loved by my players. If you’re not 16-22, you’re going to have a difficult time understanding me. You’re not my demographic. When I’m doing things that are out there, it fits with the young people. It’s not an act. The one thing I love about our culture is I get to be exactly who I am.
“I took the job at the University of Minnesota, to be honest, to be legendary. I didn’t take the job to be average. I didn’t take the job to not promise you anything. I took the job to make sure this city gets a championship, and we were two quarters away from doing that.”
He’s off to a good start, and long-suffering Gophers fans are hoping it continues.
There’s a method to P.J. Fleck’s madness
It’s hard to blame any fan of the University of Minnesota football program for being more than a bit skeptical when P.J. Fleck rolled into town as the new head
Go Gophers!!
