BleedGopher
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per Tom:
Regardless, one of the things I like about Fleck is that he is doing more than preparing players for the NFL. He has them all take a class on how to manage their finances because, he said, 77% of the players are bankrupt within three years of leaving the National Football League.
His teams have been showing improved grade point averages at both Western Michigan and Minnesota. At Western Michigan, the collective GPA went steadily upward from 2.46 in 2013 to 3.14 in 2016. At Minnesota it went from 3.07 in 2017 to 3.21 last year.
Under Fleck’s system, if players skip classes, they pay. If they fail a drug test, they are gone. “If you want to live a life worth remembering,” he said, “it will never be easy.”
He is also teaching them to give back to the community, becoming involved in various community service projects. “If you are having problems in your life,” he said, “get your butt out there and serve.”
On bad teams, he said, nobody leads. On average teams, coaches lead. On elite teams, players lead. So, when he recruits, he looks at players’ stories more than their ratings from the recruiting services. He noted that Auburn, the team Minnesota beat in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, had 58 four-star players while Minnesota had only five. Fleck himself was told he was too small, too short, too young to play in the NFL. He looks for players who have something to prove, just like he did.
He concluded, 95% of people are afraid of the scrutiny. He wants people who are not afraid to be criticized, people who are not afraid to be elite. “I took the job at the University of Minnesota to be legendary, not to be average,” he said.
www.hometownsource.com
Go Gophers!!
Regardless, one of the things I like about Fleck is that he is doing more than preparing players for the NFL. He has them all take a class on how to manage their finances because, he said, 77% of the players are bankrupt within three years of leaving the National Football League.
His teams have been showing improved grade point averages at both Western Michigan and Minnesota. At Western Michigan, the collective GPA went steadily upward from 2.46 in 2013 to 3.14 in 2016. At Minnesota it went from 3.07 in 2017 to 3.21 last year.
Under Fleck’s system, if players skip classes, they pay. If they fail a drug test, they are gone. “If you want to live a life worth remembering,” he said, “it will never be easy.”
He is also teaching them to give back to the community, becoming involved in various community service projects. “If you are having problems in your life,” he said, “get your butt out there and serve.”
On bad teams, he said, nobody leads. On average teams, coaches lead. On elite teams, players lead. So, when he recruits, he looks at players’ stories more than their ratings from the recruiting services. He noted that Auburn, the team Minnesota beat in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, had 58 four-star players while Minnesota had only five. Fleck himself was told he was too small, too short, too young to play in the NFL. He looks for players who have something to prove, just like he did.
He concluded, 95% of people are afraid of the scrutiny. He wants people who are not afraid to be criticized, people who are not afraid to be elite. “I took the job at the University of Minnesota to be legendary, not to be average,” he said.
P.J. Fleck came to U of M to change the culture
Football season ended last weekend with the Super Bowl, and, at least for those of us who cheer hardest for the Minnesota Gophers, it was fun.
Go Gophers!!
