Pj Fleck has brought to Minnesota football the "Row The Boat" campaign that he brought over from Western Michigan. He had an undefeated season for the Broncos, though his team did not make the college football playoff after such a wonderful season. He moved on to a school that would make the playoff were it to go undefeated, and he has done the circuit of sports media, talking about "Row The Boat." You may be unfamiliar with Fleck now, but you will get a glimpse of his incredible personality.
What is 'Row The Boat'?
"Row The Boat" is a motivational phrase that Fleck uses to explain how his football team is structured.
He is teaching young men to work as a team, and he chose this phrase to use when he got to Western Michigan several years ago. It became such a hit with the players that they came together to shock the football world. No one can deny Fleck's success with this phrase, and it has a value that goes far beyond teaching football players.
The value of the slogan
PJ Fleck took "Row The Boat" with him once he left for Minnesota, and Western Michigan was quite attached to this slogan. They have asked Fleck to endow a scholarship for a player at the school to pay off the loss of "Row The Boat," and he was happy to do so. It appears that there is a reason why Fleck is successful, and he has it written down for all his players.
He walked through ESPN recently, explaining his coaching philosophy, and the network put him on every form of media they have to talk about it. They knew that listeners and viewers would want to see and/or hear, and Fleck has a coaching model that could be replicated in many different places.
Slogans are used in education every day, and they must be upheld when they are successful.
This slogan has made Western Michigan relevant, and it could well make the Minnesota Golden Gophers a relevant program again.
Will Minnesota succeed?
Minnesota is not guaranteed to succeed just like any other college football program. This college has not had a solid football team since the 1960s, and they have hoped against hope through many different coaches to win the Big Ten once more.
Fleck is the wise choice for this school because he could have gone to much sunnier pastures. It is as cold in Minnesota as it is in Michigan, and they do not pay as much as other schools Fleck could have gone to. However, he came to Minnesota with the "Row The Boat" phrase to make their football team better. If he believes, we should believe.
