A loss to Nicholls State, a Cotton Bowl appearance.
The two events share hardly anything in common, except that P.J. Fleck and the Western Michigan senior class have experienced both in their time at Kalamazoo.
Western Michigan has incrementally increased its win total over the span of four seasons, hitting rock bottom in Fleck’s first-year in 2013. The Broncos finished 1-11 with a lone victory over UMass, but possessed the foundation for the program’s future.
“We embrace our failing here,” Fleck said. “We call failing growth. You show me a person who’s really successful — I’ll show you somebody who’s failed a lot.