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PJ Fleck Coaching History & Bio
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PJ Fleck has led Minnesota to bowl games in each of the past 6 non-COVID seasons and is 1 of only 2 Gophers coaches to reach 9 wins in a season 3 times.
PJ Fleck Head Coaching Record
- Western Michigan (4 seasons): 30-22 (21-11 in MAC play)
- Minnesota (8 seasons): 58-39 (33-36 in Big Ten play)
| Season | School | Record | Conference Standing | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Minnesota | 8-5 (5-4 Big Ten) | T-7th | W – Dukes Mayo Bowl |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 6-7 (3-6) | T-4th West Division | L – Quick Lane Bowl |
| 2022 | Minnesota | 9-4 (5-4) | T-2nd West Division | W – Pinstripe |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 9-4 (6-3) | T-2nd West Division | W – Quick Lane Bowl |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 3-4 (3-4) | 4th West Division | |
| 2019 | Minnesota | 11-2 (7-2) | 1st West Division | W – Outback Bowl |
| 2018 | Minnesota | 7-6 (3-6) | T-5th West Division | W – Quick Lane Bowl |
| 2017 | Minnesota | 5-7 (2-7) | 6th West Division | |
| 2016 | Western Michigan | 13-1 (8-0 MAC) | 1st West Division | L – Cotton Bowl |
| 2015 | Western Michigan | 8-5 (6-2) | T-1st West Division | W – Bahamas Bowl |
| 2014 | Western Michigan | 8-5 (6-2) | 3rd West Division | W – Idaho Potato Bowl |
| 2013 | Western Michigan | 1-11 (1-7) | T-5th West Division | |
| Total | 86-61 |
Fleck’s Coaching Experience
- 2006: Ohio State — Grad assistant
- 2007-08: Northern Illinois — Wide receivers coach
- 2009: Northern Illinois — Wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator
- 2010-11: Rutgers — Wide receivers coach
- 2012: Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Wide receivers coach
- 2013-16: Western Michigan — Head coach
- 2017-present: Minnesota — Head coach
PJ Fleck Bio
PJ Fleck simply asks that you bring the energy.
Well, and that you row the boat.
Eight seasons into his tenure with the Gophers, Fleck has already established himself as one of the program’s most successful coaches. With his smashmouth brand of football and affinity for oars, the charismatic Illinois native has already moved to fifth in program history in victories (58) and sixth in Big Ten wins (33). His .598 win percentage is third-best among Minnesota coaches who lasted at least 45 games (11 total).
Fleck burst onto the national scene by leading Western Michigan to an undefeated regular season and a Cotton Bowl bid in 2016. He parlayed that success into the job at Minnesota, where it took just 3 seasons for him to prove that his old-school coaching philosophy could also work at the power conference level.
The Gophers opened that 2019 season with 9 straight victories while climbing as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking since 1962. Win No. 9 came at TCF Bank Stadium against then-No. 5 Penn State. It was the program’s first victory over an AP top-5 team since 1999.
Fleck was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year and was named a finalist for numerous National Coach of the Year awards. The Gophers finished with 11 wins, the most in a season since 1904. They finished with 7 Big Ten victories, the most in school history. They beat 2 top-10 teams in the same season for the first time since 1956. And they defeated No. 9 Auburn in the Outback Bowl for the program’s first New Year’s Day bowl victory since 1962.
In 2021, Fleck became the first Minnesota coach since Murray Warmath in the 1960s to win at least 6 conference games in a season more than once. He has coached 5 All-Americans and had 12 players selected in the NFL Draft during his tenure with the Gophers.
A Northern Illinois grad, Fleck cut his teeth as a grad assistant at Ohio State (2006) before joining the coaching staff at his alma mater. In 2007, he was hired by the Huskies as the team’s wideout coach. In 2009, he added the title of recruiting coordinator.
He moved to Rutgers in 2010, coaching the same position, and spent 2 years in Piscataway before jumping to the NFL.
After just 1 season coaching wideouts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fleck was offered the head coaching gig at Western Michigan. He took over the program in 2013 and, after a 1-11 record in Year 1, won at least 8 games in each of his last 3 seasons with the program.
The Broncos ended the 2016 regular season a perfect 13-0. They beat Ohio in the MAC Championship Game to claim the first conference championship for WMU since 1988. It also marked the first 10-win season in the school’s 111-year football history. For his efforts, Fleck was 1 of 5 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award.