Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck has made no secret of his "Row the Boat" mantra. There are reminders everywhere, including Twitter — where the coach uses the hashtag #RTB to punctuate his social media messages.
But on Tuesday, maybe RTB had a double meaning: Row the Boat and … Rock the Badminton?
Fleck was on his way back from speaking with the Gophers men's gymnastics team when he spotted a bunch of students playing badminton. Fleck was wearing dress clothes, but that didn't matter.
"I remember him asking, 'Who's the best player here?' " said Dan McGill, a freshman from Lakeville. "And people were kind of hesitant because some didn't know who he was, so I just asked if he wanted to hit around."
McGill said he wasn't sure if the final score was relevant and that he isn't trying to be cocky, but … the scoreboard says McGill 9, Fleck 3.
But McGill did say Fleck is a "very good player" and was quite competitive during their match — "or elite, should I say?" he added.
MICHAEL RAND
