WaPo: Skeptical of P.J. Fleck and his slogans? So were others, but 8-0 Minnesota

BleedGopher

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per the Washington Post:

Every morning, before most of the surrounding world has woken up, P.J. Fleck carves out 45 quiet minutes, time that begins as he drives toward the University of Minnesota’s football facility and continues after he settles into his office.

As Fleck sinks into his zone, it’s hard to know he has even arrived at the facility. He usually keeps his office dark during this time, apart from the glow of candles he lights upon entering.

Fleck loves candles, and so does his wife. But that’s not all of it, because everything inside Fleck’s highly positive, excessively energetic mind has layers, each revealing a new element of symbolism, some metaphor or maybe one of those catchy slogans. Light represents beginnings, so each morning, Fleck thinks, “Okay, I’ve got to now light the fire of the program.”

Fleck drives Minnesota football with the relentless belief in this culture as his guide — but not in the way every other coach in America throws around that buzzword. His cultural blueprint is detailed and complex. He preaches precise definitions for words such as “energy” and “success.” It’s easy to be skeptical. Maybe the “Row the Boat” mantra, the one Fleck thrust into the national college football lexicon a few years ago at Western Michigan, seems like too much. But he believes it. His players do, too. And this group he’s leading through his third season at Minnesota hasn’t lost a game yet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...is-slogans-so-were-others-minnesota-believes/

Go Gophers!!
 

Very nice article in a national paper! Thank you for sharing, Bleed.
 

Good article with some new info that I hadn't heard before on Fleck's Northern Illinois days.
 




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