P. J. Fleck

Philip John Fleck Jr. (born November 29, 1980) is an American football coach and former wide receiver.

Fleck started his playing career at Kaneland High School located in Maple Park, Illinois, where he helped the Knights win back to back, undefeated state championships in 1997 and 1998.

He set a state record with 95 catches for 1,548 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior.

For his career, Fleck caught 199 passes for 3,121 yards and 34 scores with at least one catch in 40 straight games.

Fleck also lettered in varsity track and basketball.

Upon graduation, Fleck attended Northern Illinois University where he played wide receiver under head coach Joe Novak.

As a senior, he led the Huskies with 77 catches for 1,028 yards and six touchdowns, a reception total that still ranks second on the school's single-season list.

Fleck still owns the school record for career punt returns (87), is second in punt return yards (716), ranks third in career catches (179) and is fourth in receiving yards (2,162).

He was a second team Academic All-American as a senior and was twice voted team captain by his Huskie teammates.

He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 2004, spending a majority of his short NFL career on the practice squad.

Since then, he has pursued a coaching career.

Fleck was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers following the 2004 NFL Draft.

49ers head coach Dennis Erickson labeled Fleck a "frickin' warrior" during the first days of rookie training camp.

Fleck spent a majority of the 2004 season on the 49ers practice squad before being promoted to the 53 man roster and appearing in the 49ers final game of the season.

Playing special teams, he registered a tackle and returned one punt for ten yards.

Fleck spent the 2005 season on injured reserve after suffering a significant shoulder injury during the preseason.

On June 12, 2006, Fleck was released by the 49ers.

The day he was released, 49ers head coach Mike Nolan offered Fleck a spot on his coaching staff as assistant wide receivers coach, stating "If that's something he wants to do, I think he'd be very good at it."

Fleck attempted to continue his playing career after his release from the 49ers, and had a tryout with his hometown Chicago Bears on June 20.

However, he failed his physical due to his previous injuries and was unable to sign.

Fleck stated that after the failed physical, he knew it was time to begin a career in coaching.

Fleck began his coaching career in 2006 as an offensive graduate assistant at Ohio State University at the invitation of head coach Jim Tressel.

He worked directly with the Buckeyes tight ends and assisted with the special teams.

Northern Illinois running back coach Thomas Hammock and defensive ends coach Mike Sabock, a lifelong friend and collegiate teammate of Tressel, helped Fleck land the Ohio State job.

Fleck spent one year with the Buckeyes, who were ranked No. 1 in the country most of the season.

The team earned the 2006 Big Ten Championship and appeared in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, where they lost to Florida and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation.

He has formerly been the wide receivers coach for Northern Illinois (2007–2009), Rutgers (2010–2011), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012).

In 2007, Fleck was hired by Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak as wide receivers coach, replacing Carnelius Cruz.

Novak had stated several years prior that he hoped to one day hire Fleck as a coach.

Following Novak's retirement in 2008, Fleck was one of two NIU assistants to be retained by incoming head coach Jerry Kill, and also added the title of recruiting coordinator.

In 2010, Fleck was hired by Rutgers University as the wide receivers coach under head coach Greg Schiano.

On February 2, 2012, he was hired as the offensive coordinator at Northern Illinois University.

Coach Dave Doeren said the following about Fleck's hiring, "We spoke at length about why this is the right place for him. It was very evident to me that he bleeds NIU, and he would have tremendous pride and passion working not just for me, but for the university to help continue what we started last year, and really what he started here as a player. His recruiting abilities and passing game expertise, working alongside Coach Carey as our run game coordinator, will be a great combination for our offense."

Just one day later, on February 3, 2012, Fleck abruptly resigned the Northern Illinois position to accept a position as wide receivers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

The move reunited him with Schiano, who had recently left Rutgers for the Buccaneers head coaching job.

Fleck was also previously the head coach of the Western Michigan Broncos football team from 2013 until 2016.

He has served as the head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team since 2017.

Born in Sugar Grove, Illinois, Fleck played college football as a wide receiver for the Northern Illinois Huskies.

In 2019, two years following his hiring by Minnesota, Fleck led the Golden Gophers to one of their best seasons in half a century, earning their most wins since 1904.