Community disappointed as P.J. Fleck pulls up anchor in Kalamazoo

By Madison Bennett | MLive

KALAMAZOO, MI - Some Western Michigan University alumni, students and football fans were left stunned and disappointed after hearing the news that their now former head football coach P.J. Fleck is abandoning the Bronco ship.

Reports of Fleck leaving WMU to take over as head football coach at the University of Minnesota ramped up Thursday. It was confirmed Friday morning when both Fleck and WMU issued statements.

A best-selling shirt with P.J. Fleck's Row the Boat mantra in the WMU bookstore Buster's is now on sale at a reduced price.Madison Bennett | Kalamazoo Gazette 

One student even attempted to raise enough funds to keep Fleck in Kalamazoo through a GoFundMe page titled "Pj, keep rowing at Western." The page's goal was set at $22 million, above the $18.5 million over five years Fleck will reportedly make in Minnesota.

"I wanted to at least try to let P.J. know that we still want him to Row the Boat at Western, so I was hoping the GoFundMe account would go viral so he could see it," said WMU senior Brad Roman, creator of the page.

Roman, who said he was devastated by the news, wasn't the only one upset with Fleck's departure. Delaney Landis, a freshman at Western said she was angry over his decision.

"Of course we wanted him to stay, he put us on the map," Landis said.

While many were struggling Friday to come to terms with Fleck's decision to leave the Broncos for the Golden Gophers, others were sending him best wishes for his future journey.

"We wish Coach Fleck the best and as I told him, we will never forget the lessons he taught us," said Ric Scheffers, owner of The Spirit Shoppe, a store near campus that sells WMU themed clothing and novelties.

"He is a coach we'll never forget," said Scheffers, who owns the shop with his wife Heather, who together have been in charge of creating all of Fleck's WMU gear.

WMU President John Dunn said he thinks Athletic Director Kathy Beauregard has an eye for talent and there's no doubt they'll find an exceptional replacement to lead a football program coming off its most successful season ever and a trip to the Cotton Bowl.

"The university community is disappointed to see Coach Fleck leave, but certainly we wish him well with his new opportunity," Dunn said in a prepared statement. "His leadership and team accomplishments are impressive and will remain a part of the great legacy of Bronco athletics."

Aside from questions on who will replace Fleck, many people are wondering what will happen to his Row the Boat mantra.

WMU owns the rights to his signature phrase, but its future with the university is undecided, Beauregard said at a news conference Friday.

For some students like Landis, she hopes the phrase leaves with the former coach.

"If he leaves it can leave with him," Landis said. "We want loyalty."

Myia Hampton, a team member at the WMU campus bookstore Buster's, said she believes their clothing items labeled with Fleck's mantra will no longer sell.

"I do feel like P.J. making this move just tore a little bit of pride and joy out of me at the same time," Roman said. "I actually went to every home game, championship game and the Cotton Bowl this year. My home was Waldo Stadium every Saturday."

This post originally appeared Jan. 6, 2017 on MLive.com.