Former USF men's and women's soccer coach Logan Fleck has passed away at the age of 54. Flecky coached the Bulls men's team from 1994-96, then took over the newly founded women's program in 1997 where he was head coach until 2006. Since he left USF, he's been the head coach of the Stetson men's team. He also served as an ODP coach, and was part of men's and women's soccer in every capacity and job title you can imagine his entire adult life.
That's the bio. It can't possibly begin to describe the man.
There was rarely quiet in a room occupied by T. Logan Fleck. He was so full of unending energy at all times that simply never slowed down. He was constant motion, and a lot of that motion was his jaw. Flecky could talk the ear off an entire group, but no one would complain because he was so engaging and charismatic. It was impossible to not enjoy the time you spent with him, and if you were lucky that time might include an adult malt beverage or two.
He was also crazy. Not bad crazy, just fun crazy. I'm sure the walls of the Rocky's Bar & Grill at The Claw could tell even better stories than me, but I once saw him recruiting a prospect's Mom on the phone while looking at me. The words coming out of his mouth were in diametrical opposition to the look on his face. He was telling her how fantastic the USF facilities were for soccer while looking dead at me and shaking his head from side to side. "Hey, I just got to get her here... after that we'll figure it out."
I spent my share of nights at Rocky's with Flecky holding court, and the stories he could tell were always fantastic. The thing you could always see was how much he loved people: his fellow coaches, his players (past and present), and his Dad. He spoke of his Dad in more glowing terms than I ever heard anyone speak about their father. When a long battle with dementia at the end of Dr. Tom Fleck's life set in, Flecky did everything he could to spend as much time with him as possible.
Once I was on the field with his team for an exhibition game, and he told me before the game "here's how you really get a ref rattled; yell at them really loudly about what a great call they just made." Sure enough during the match he came charging off the bench looking like Earl Weaver leaving the dugout, and starts flying down the touchline screaming "THAT'S A FANTASTIC CALL SIR, REALLY GOOD JOB!!" The ref looked over and smiled. It was Flecky, he knew something like that was coming eventually.
Some people might have thought he was a bit off his rocker, but no one ever questioned his heart or the joy with which he lived his life. Thanks for everything, T. Logan Fleck. Everyone you knew will miss you. I do already.