Matt Canada (Maryland interim HC) news conference on Big Ten Network



Matt Canada on PJ Fleck in his weekly press conference:

Not a perfect quote but I think I got most of it:

“I was there for PJs whole career. I was a running back coach, Quarterback and a coordinator during PJ’s Senior year. PJ and I stayed in touch. Tremendous credit to PJ. He is a guy that..he and Thomas hamoic (SP?) were on our staff and after that year he and Thomas went to the coaches convention put on their coat & tie and said we are going to be big time coaches. Thomas is the rb coach for the Baltimore Ravens and PJ’s been a head coach now I don’t know how many years. He has done a tremendous job. He has great energy. He has great passion. His football teams are playing for him... there is no question about that. I’m happy for him. He has done a great job.”
 


He is a guy that..he and Thomas hamoic (SP?) were on our staff and after that year he and Thomas went to the coaches convention put on their coat & tie and said we are going to be big time coaches.

Fleck and Hammock were on the team as players, not staff, when Canada was there. Hammock graduated after the 2002 season, Fleck after the 2003 season. I think Canada might be misremembering the part about the coaches' convention, first because Fleck and Hammock didn't graduate the same year, and further because Fleck played in the NFL for 2 years after he graduated, before getting a GA job at Ohio St in 2006. I suppose it's possible that Fleck went to the coaches' convention seeking out a job before he was signed by the 49ers, but I doubt he'd be seeking out coaching jobs while still actively seeking a playing job.

Interestingly, both Fleck and Hammock would later coach for NIU, but not at the same time - Hammock was RB coach in 2005-2006 and Fleck was WR coach in 2007-2009. (Fleck was also NIU offensive coordinator for one day in 2012, but I don't think he puts that on his resume.)
 


I suppose it's possible that Fleck went to the coaches' convention seeking out a job before he was signed by the 49ers, but I doubt he'd be seeking out coaching jobs while still actively seeking a playing job.

Fleck has told the same story before of he and Hammock going to the convention. Fleck and Hammock both enrolled in '99 with Fleck taking a redshirt due to injury his senior year. It makes sense to me that they went together in 2002 after Hammock's senior season.
 




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