Former Bucs Assistant P.J. Fleck Making History at Minnesota
Before he was rowing the boat, P.J. Fleck was chasing Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams down the practice field.
One of the hottest names in the college football coaching ranks, Fleck's winding road took a one-year stop in Tampa Bay back in 2012. A fiery, energetic presence, Fleck was a must-see attraction during training camp practices, following his pass-catchers through every rep, chopping at the ball while staying step-for-step with them down the field.
In Fleck's only season coaching Tampa Bay's receivers, Jackson and Williams both put up huge numbers, combining for 135 receptions, 2,380 yards and 17 touchdowns. The pair averaged 17.6 yards per reception between them.
A receiver himself at Northern Illinois, Fleck spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before starting his coaching journey as a graduate assistant at Ohio State. He coached receivers at his alma mater and then Rutgers before moving to the NFL ranks with the Bucs, leaving after just one season to return to college for his first head-coaching gig at Western Michigan.
The Broncos went just 1-11 in Fleck's first season, but made a giant leap thereafter, going 8-5 in back-to-back seasons before notching a 13-1 mark in 2016, including a trip to the Cotton Bowl.
Fleck parlayed that success into a Power 5 job, leaving Kalamazoo for the Big Ten. He went 12-13 over his first two seasons with the Gophers, making many wonder if the task of turning around a program that hadn't had a 10-win season since 2003.
But in 2019, Fleck is proving that his mantra, "Row the Boat," is taking hold in Minneapolis.
Fleck's Golden Gophers are 8-0 heading into Saturday's huge home game against No. 4 Penn State, a conference foe that also sports an unblemished record. A victory could launch Fleck's team into the College Football Playoff conversation.
The last time Minnesota was 8-0 in football? 1941.
Once a fan-favorite position coach in Tampa Bay, Fleck is proving himself to be one of the nation's best head coaches.
