Row the Boat

Chapter 5Rowing the Boat at WMU

P.J. Fleck

 

A Difficult Task

Who would have thought that Row the Boat would be thrust into motion two short years after Colton had passed? In 2011, I had started to formulate the process of building a culture that would be positive, energetic, philanthropic, and proactive. In 2013, I began to create this culture when Kathy Beauregard, the athletic director at WMU, not only gave me the opportunity to be a 32-year-old head coach, but also allowed me to be me and turn around a program that had never won a bowl game, never beat a Top 25 team, never been ranked in the AP poll, never won 10 games or more in a season, never had a Heisman candidate, and never hosted ESPN's College GameDay.

Many people advised me to wait and take a “better” job. But I've never known what the phrase “better job” means. Every job has its own challenges. As Jim Tressel used to say, “jobs are open for a reason.” As I talked with many of my mentors about taking the job, the same things came up. One, this is a really tough job. Two, you're so young at 32 and if it doesn't work, you might have taken your shot on the wrong job and now you are 35, fired, and will never be a head coach again. And many advised me to stay in the NFL and get a “better job” in college or the NFL down the road.

One particular conversation with one of my mentors really opened my eyes to exactly ...