P.J. Fleck reportedly makes $50,000 deal with Western Michigan to keep ‘Row The Boat’ slogan

Fear not folks, because according to ESPN, new Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck gets to keep using the saying he made famous at Western Michigan without fear of legal action against him.

The most important thing about the transfer is they’re transferring the trademark to Fleck himself, and not to the University of Minnesota.

If you’ve ever listened to an interview with Fleck or a rousing pregame speech then you’ve heard Fleck enthusiastically say those three words, “Row The Boat.”

It’s emblazoned on his jacket on the sideline ...

... and the Broncos even had helmets depicting it.

But the slogan had very real and genuine origins, it not just some playful shtick. Fleck talked about where it came from in an interview with ESPN.

“It’s a never give up mantra, Feb. 9 2011 I lost my second son to a heart condition. As you hold your son as he takes his last breath that’s pretty tough to go through and your whole life changes. There’s no bad days after that, so you’re living your life for someone else. He’s on my back always, that’s where Row The Boat originated.”

It was all well and good at Western Michigan, but eventually Fleck’s rising star was going to burn too bright for the Broncos and he’d be on to a different school. That’s exactly what happened in January when he became Minnesota’s head coach. In 2015, Fleck got the phrase trademarked at Western Michigan.

That meant that Fleck couldn’t just walk out the door and slap the slogan on anything Gopher related.

But Fleck was adamant about bringing the phrase with him, obviously given its personal nature as well as how integral it is to his brand.

“We’re working on it,” Fleck said Wednesday while in attendance for the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award, for which Fleck was a finalist. “There’s just some things to go through, and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to bring it with me.”

It was also doubtful that a new coach at Western Michigan would want to hang on to the slogan of his predecessor and not try to put his own stamp on the program. With that in mind, it seemed a slam dunk that cooler heads would prevail and a settlement would be reached. Now the boat’s being rowed in Minneapolis.