The Big Ten conference announced defensive postseason honors and coach of the year awards today and the Gophers were well represented. The conference will announce offensive awards on Wednesday.
Head coach P.J. Fleck was named the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year, which is voted on by the conference coaches. Fleck, who has been a head coach for seven years, has now been named a conference coach of the year three times. In addition to this year, he was also named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016.
"This is a tremendous honor, but it is one that belongs to our entire staff, team and administration," said Fleck. "Head coaches are only as good as the people around them and we have the best in the business. I also want to thank my wife Heather and our children, as I would not be able to do this without their unconditional love and support."
Fleck has guided Minnesota to a 10-2 overall record this year and a 7-2 mark in the Big Ten. The 10 regular season wins are the most for the Gophers since 1905 and this year is also the first time ever that Minnesota won seven Big Ten games in a season.