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University of Minnesota Athletics
Fleck Shines Under New Spotlight
8/31/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
P.J. Fleck stood at the end of the Gophers tunnel for what seemed like an eternity, waiting to lead his team onto the TCF Bank Stadium turf for the first time in a regular season game.
Sixty minutes of football later, the 36-year old was still savoring each and every moment of his first game, and first win, as part of the Minnesota football team.
Fleck has found success at every stop along his coaching career, but his team's 17-7 victory over Buffalo Thursday night bucked a recent trend among Gopher head coaches in their sideline debuts.
The last Minnesota coach to win in his Minnesota introduction was John Gutekunst, leading the Gophers to a 31-7 win against Bowling Green in 1986. It marked a span of six head coaches and 31 years since a winning start.
Fleck came to Dinkytown promising a new culture and energy surrounding the football program. From the packed student section dancing to a new end-zone DJ and two first-quarter touchdowns providing the offensive fireworks quickly, early results show he more than delivered.
His energy could be felt throughout the game, including when a key interception by Jacob Huff midway through the third quarter saw the head coach jump on Huff's back after the pick, leading a scrum of maroon surrounding their teammate. Even after the game, Fleck could be seen sprinting towards and leaping atop the Gopher huddle upon his entrance to the locker room.
It couldn't have hurt that his opponent on the north sideline was a familiar foe in Buffalo. Fleck's Western Michigan teams faced UB twice, suffering a humbling 33-0 defeat in Fleck's first season of 2013, followed by a 38-0 blanking by the Broncos in Kalamazoo last fall. Even so, Thursday's win was a learning experience for Fleck and his team.
"I've learned in my short career you never not enjoy a win," he explained. "We have to make sure that we continue to do all the right things. Tomorrow we are going to be on to Oregon State because we have a long road trip ahead of us… We have to worry about us. We can't worry about other people. We have own issues. We have to get better. I'm proud of our players for finding a way to win."
Fleck's players didn't notice much change in him from before to after the game.
"I would say nothing has really changed," explained sophomore wide receiver Tyler Johnson. "The energy was still the same. He was excited coming into today just like we were."
"He's the same person I've seen leading up to this day," added senior linebacker Jonathan Celestin. "He came in this morning very excited to come in and play a game. After all the offseason, to finally get on the field and play as a team… same old P.J."
Inside the winning locker room Thursday night, Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle delivered a hand-painted game ball to Fleck to commemorate his first win in Minneapolis. While much of the focus was on the head coach leading up to, during and after the game, he was quick to share in Thursday's success.
"Usually it's me giving out the game balls, and it was pretty emotional," Fleck said. "That game ball was not for me. That game ball was for our players, that game ball was for our boosters, that game ball was for our fans, our student section - 10,000 strong, that's for our administration, that's for everybody who believed in what we're doing. Not that it's guaranteed to happen this right now or this year, but that's for that vision. I appreciate it, and I accept it on behalf of everybody."
Even though he will adjust the focus of the team onto next week's opponent, Thursday night is sure to be one Fleck will look back on for a long time.
"When I heard row the boat chanted… the atmosphere walking in there, our student body going nuts, the lights, the Big Ten feel, the type of crowd we had - I'm proud of our fans, and that's what I'll remember. I'll remember that and the resiliency of our team."
