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Fleck’s ‘Row the Boat’ mantra helps him through personal struggle, rebuilding Western Michigan football

Courtesy of GS Photography/WMU Athletics

P.J. Fleck works the sidelines during Western Michigan's game against Purude last year. He's trying to use his mantra, "Row the boat," to revive the program after it helped him through the death of his infant son.

Row the boat.

It’s three words that have come to symbolize and stand for everything about P.J. Fleck and his football program.

Everyone takes part, in times of greatest success and the worst failures, and keeps rowing.

It’s more than a motto that Fleck, just 33 years old, and his family live by. It’s a philosophy and a way of life that the youngest Division I head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision has instilled in his Western Michigan players and coaches as he has reshaped the culture surrounding the program.

“Whenever you take a stand and do something like this that’s a little bit drastic,” Fleck said, “you’re going to have people that don’t believe it.



“Winning cures everything and people are starting to believe in it.”

The mantra transcends the football field and was introduced to Fleck in a low point in his life. His and his wife Tracie’s son, Colt, died shortly after birth due to a heart defect when Fleck was the wide receivers coach at Rutgers from 2010-11.

In a YouTube video where Fleck explains his philosophy at length, he said that during that intensely emotional period in his life, he knew he and his family just needed to keep rowing.

Through strategically placed oars and signs, constant reminders can be seen throughout the Broncos’ new athletic facilities. Fleck helped raise more $3 million for the facilities and players have now become advocates for the life model.

“It’s amazing how quickly it’s taken over,” said sophomore quarterback Zach Terrell. “Not just rowing the boat, but everything he’s done that comes along with it.”

When Fleck took the WMU job before the 2013 season — his first head coaching job — Fleck knew he’d need to be ready to do more than just be a play-caller on the sidelines. This was about starting over.

He wanted to transform the program from the organizational beliefs, traditions, community involvement and through its vision, all of which he explained in a YouTube video.

Fleck introduces new gameday traditions such as a stadium-wide row to the tune of “Row, row, row your boat” between the third and fourth quarters. At the end of each home game, a preselected player will stand on the podium in front of the marching band and conduct it through the Western Michigan fight song, using an oar instead of a wand.

“I want this to be a different kind of event,” Fleck said. “I want it to be an entertainment spectacle.

“People of all ages will come to our games and enjoy not just the game, but the atmosphere we’re working to create.”

With just three conference championships as a program in 108 years, Fleck knew his time was as good any to start implementing new traditions.

The community involvement is reaching new heights as a program. Fleck said the school purchased 500 oars to distribute around the community and he wants them in every bakery, classroom and bank in the surrounding area.

Relating to people and his players to get on board with the movement hasn’t been a problem. Fleck’s players’ say relating to them is potentially the greatest strength of the former San Francisco 49er wide receiver.

“He’s intense,” sophomore wide receiver Corey Davis said. “Even in the toughest days we have, he just keeps telling us, ‘Keep rowing guys, keep going.’”

Fleck has the ultimate respect from his players, coaches and the community, all of who have bought into the movement with even high school football programs in the surrounding area getting in on rowing the boat.

The adage that age is just a number couldn’t hold any truer for Fleck — who said he should be 53, not 33, years old given his experiences.

“I was just looking to lay the foundation of a new culture when I came in,” Fleck said. “It wasn’t just about wins and losses in year one. We increased our involvement in the community and changed the vision of our program.”





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