BleedGopher
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per Megan:
Here at Big Ten Media Days, there's a big break between the morning press conferences and afternoon breakout sessions. And while I've got Gophers holder Casey O'Brien's speech in between, I thought I'd use this time to share an interesting anecdote from P.J. Fleck on Thursday.
Remember back in January, when offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca reportedly turned down an offer to join West Virginia's coaching staff under Neal Brown? Apparently, that move was much closer to being made than we knew.
Fleck himself said he "lost" his longtime coordinator.
"He literally called me at 11 p.m. and said, 'I'm going.' Nobody knows this," Fleck said in his breakout session. "And I said, 'Listen, Kirk, you've given me six amazing years.' And I said, 'I couldn't be happier for you.'"
Brown is someone Ciarrocca worked with at Delaware in 2005, much like he worked with Fleck at Rutgers in 2010 before becoming his coordinator at Western Michigan in 2013. So he was choosing between two bosses that he formerly bossed.
Fleck said he quickly started looking for a replacement, remarking how he has a list four-candidates deep at every coaching position so he can transition these moves as seamlessly as possible. He had even interviewed some people.
"But then he calls me, I think, two in the morning. I'm sleeping. And I get a phone call, I'm like, 'It's Kirk. Kirk likes money. And he wants to, he wants to see if I can do anything,'" Fleck said. "And [I'm] like, 'Kirk, can't do anything else, man.' I answer the phone, he's like, 'Is that spot still available?' I was like, 'What?'"
Fleck recalled Ciarrocca saying how he just really believed in what the Gophers were doing and wanted to see through all the work.
"It wasn't about him. He turned down, probably less money. And I've known Kirk for a long time. He wants to win. He wants to be around elite people, but he has a value," Fleck said. "And for him to do that, it meant a lot. It meant a lot to our players. It meant a lot to me. He's been one of my closest friends."
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...offensive-coordinator-in-minnesota/512945612/
Go Gophers!!
Here at Big Ten Media Days, there's a big break between the morning press conferences and afternoon breakout sessions. And while I've got Gophers holder Casey O'Brien's speech in between, I thought I'd use this time to share an interesting anecdote from P.J. Fleck on Thursday.
Remember back in January, when offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca reportedly turned down an offer to join West Virginia's coaching staff under Neal Brown? Apparently, that move was much closer to being made than we knew.
Fleck himself said he "lost" his longtime coordinator.
"He literally called me at 11 p.m. and said, 'I'm going.' Nobody knows this," Fleck said in his breakout session. "And I said, 'Listen, Kirk, you've given me six amazing years.' And I said, 'I couldn't be happier for you.'"
Brown is someone Ciarrocca worked with at Delaware in 2005, much like he worked with Fleck at Rutgers in 2010 before becoming his coordinator at Western Michigan in 2013. So he was choosing between two bosses that he formerly bossed.
Fleck said he quickly started looking for a replacement, remarking how he has a list four-candidates deep at every coaching position so he can transition these moves as seamlessly as possible. He had even interviewed some people.
"But then he calls me, I think, two in the morning. I'm sleeping. And I get a phone call, I'm like, 'It's Kirk. Kirk likes money. And he wants to, he wants to see if I can do anything,'" Fleck said. "And [I'm] like, 'Kirk, can't do anything else, man.' I answer the phone, he's like, 'Is that spot still available?' I was like, 'What?'"
Fleck recalled Ciarrocca saying how he just really believed in what the Gophers were doing and wanted to see through all the work.
"It wasn't about him. He turned down, probably less money. And I've known Kirk for a long time. He wants to win. He wants to be around elite people, but he has a value," Fleck said. "And for him to do that, it meant a lot. It meant a lot to our players. It meant a lot to me. He's been one of my closest friends."
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...offensive-coordinator-in-minnesota/512945612/
Go Gophers!!
