Nov 1, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota football will be on primetime in Week 12 when it faces No. 8 Oregon on Friday, Nov. 14.

The Golden Gophers (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) travel to face the Ducks, a top College Football Playoff contender. Minnesota hasn't fared well against top-tier programs in the Big Ten this season – falling to Ohio State 42-3 and Iowa 41-3 – but it'll look to make things interesting nonetheless.

Coach P.J. Fleck and his "Row The Boat" mantra could come in handy in a game where the Golden Gophers are over 25-point underdogs.

With Minnesota playing in primetime in Week 12, here's an explanation of what "Row The Boat" means, as those unfamiliar with Fleck might not understand the phrase.

What does 'Row The Boat' mean?

"Row The Boat" is a mantra that doesn't come from Minnesota, but rather one Fleck created during his tenure as head coach at Western Michigan.

“It’s a never-give-up mantra that has to do strictly with life or adversity or handling success, never giving up, and it means a few things," Fleck said at the "What Drives Winning" conference in 2016. "When you row a boat, you’re rowing, don’t ever look at me and paddle. That’s completely different. We’re rowing. Your back is to the future, which is something you cannot control, nor can you see. You have to trust the person in front of you, that you’re looking at, that they’re doing their job and rowing at the same speed, same efficiency as you are.

"But that’s the future, you can’t control that. You don’t know if there’s rocks, water falls, stormy seas, you don’t know what’s ahead of you. You’re rowing in the present, which is the only thing you can actually control, and the only thing you can actually have an impact on. You either choose to take your oars and put them back in the boat and stop, or you put them back in the water and continue to go. But you’re looking at the past, which is the only thing you can actually learn from. But you can’t change."

The mantra started after Fleck's son, Colt, died in 2011 from a heart condition. Fleck said "Row The Boat" is a way for him to honor his son's life.

“As you hold your son as he passes away, your whole life changes," Fleck said. "What you believe in, how you’ve believed in it, what you’ve done to that point, where you’re going to go and how you’re going to live your life all changes. But Row the Boat is really my second son’s life as I continue to live his life for him. It’s his life."

Fleck also said there are three parts to rowing a boat: An oar, the bot itself and a compass.

The oar is "the energy you bring to your life," the boat is "the sacrifice" and the compass is "who you surround yourself with," according to Fleck.

Fleck started the mantra at Western Michigan, where he coached from 2013-16. After taking the job at Minnesota in 2017, he reached an agreement with WMU to transfer the trademark rights on the phrase.

The mantra is seen all over the school, from gear the team wears and signs the program has in its facilities.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does 'Row The Boat' mean? Explaining P.J. Fleck, Minnesota mantra

Reporting by Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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