Fleck played a year of pro football for the San Francisco 49ers and after, he began working as an assistant coach for various schools, starting at Ohio State University. He’d have stints in various capacities, twice at Northern Illinois University as well as Rutgers University. He’d even be back in the pros on the sidelines as wide receiver coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he’d he known for simulating plays alongside his receivers in a pair of cleats.
It was only a matter of time that someone with Fleck’s passion would be called up to be a head coach, and it was Western Michigan University that made the call.