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P.J. Fleck beaming after Northern Illinois upsets No. 5 Notre Dame

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Published  September 9, 2024 5:10pm CDT
Minnesota Golden Gophers
FOX 9

P.J. Fleck talks Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck was a receiver at Northern Illinois and reflected Monday on their historic win at Notre Dame.

The Brief

    • Gophers coach P.J. Fleck palyed at Northern Illinois from 1999-2003
    • Fleck was roommates with current Huskies coach Thomas Hammock
    • Northern Illinois last win over a ranked non-conference opponent was Alabama in 2003

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck held his weekly news conference on Monday at Athletes Village, and it ended with him beaming over Northern Illinois pulling a 16-14 upset over No. 5-ranked Notre Dame.

Fleck, a Sugar Grove, Ill. native, was a wide receiver from 1999-2003 at Northern Illinois. His college roommate? Current Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock.

"It’s tremendous. It’s your alma mater, so once a Husky, always a Husky," Fleck said with an ear-to-ear smile.

Why it matters

Northern Illinois hadn’t beaten a ranked non-conference opponent since 2003, a win at Alabama. Fleck was on that team. They delivered a serious blow to the Fighting Irish’s College Football Playoff hopes.

Fleck recalled being recruited to the Huskies amid a 25-game losing streak for  the program. At that time, it was led by Joe Novak.

"Here’s how bad it was, I was recruited. I was selected as a scholarship athlete, that’s how bad it was. We were all these crack on the shoulder, blue collar kids. Just hungry to have an opportunity," Fleck said. 

Fleck’s senior year included wins over the Crimson Tide, Maryland and Iowa State. The year before, they knocked off Wake Forest.

Hammock’s viral moment

After Saturday’s win, Hammock was brought to tears on live television talking about his players. His postgame locker room celebration, featuring an impassioned speech telling his players to believe in themselves, also made the rounds on social media.

Beating the Irish in South Bend, Ind., is arguably the biggest win in program history.

"That is Thomas Hammock, his postgame speech, he loves Northern Illinois. He loves his players, that was real, true, authentic Thomas Hammock, Fleck said. "That’s a huge win in program history for sure."

Gophers/Iowa set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 21

The Gophers will host Iowa under the lights on Sept. 21 in the annual battle for Floyd of Rosedale at 6:30 p.m., the Big Ten announced Monday. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.

Both teams are currently 1-1 after the Hawkeyes lost to Iowa State last Saturday. Fleck got his first win over Iowa last year, after Cooper DeJean’s invalid fair catch signal. It’ll be a Maroon Out at Huntington Bank Stadium, after the season-opener against North Carolina was a Gold Out.