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Coach Fleck spoke of Juenemann's character as a representation of the team and university's values and how he embodies the type of person they strive to develop on the team.

\"We have a holistic approach for our culture academically, athletically, socially and spiritually and some programs don't demand those things to be connected, but we do,\" Coach Fleck said. \"And Justin fit the bill for all four.\"

Fleck, who was named head coach this past January, has instilled the mantra \"row the boat\" in his team, meaning they should never give up.

\"You just have to be the best you that you can be and never ever stop,\" Coach Fleck explained. \"Someone like [Justin] has every reason to stay on the sidelines, but he doesn't. I've never seen anybody serve and give more than that guy ... he continues to keep his oar in the water.\"

Juenemann returns the respect to the coach.

\"I can't thank Coach Fleck and the staff for what they've done since I've been here to grow as a person and a football player, throughout all four of those areas of my life,\" Juenemann said about the four tenets of Minnesota's program.

\"They don't have to plan these big special moments, but they want to,\" he said. \"Coach always says it's not what you do, its how you do it and he's the prime example of that.\"

Fleck said he planned the surprise because the team has a close relationship with the children's hospital and he wanted to create a special memory.

\"I want them to remember 30 years from now how he received that scholarship,\" the coach said.

Juenemann said it will definitely be a moment he remembers.

\"It’s something I will never forget with the memory and having that video to watch too,\" the fifth year senior said. \"All of the emotions running through me at the time and the fact that Coach Fleck and Kyle went through that effort to create a special moment is amazing.\"

Minnesota football alum and current NFL wide receiver Eric Decker tweeted Juenemann after he caught wind of the story.

This is real good stuff! Proud of my man @JustinJuenemann for being a class act! #gophers https://t.co/pxGxHoJPvx

— Eric Decker (@EricDecker87) August 9, 2017

\"It was awesome, I didn't really know how to respond, but I was excited,\" Juenemann said of Decker's tweet. \"It's pretty cool for him to reach out and he didn't have to, but he did and it means a lot.\"

Coach Fleck said Decker has been \"nothing but extraordinary in terms of being so open, so warm and so positive.\"

\"It's really good for the players to see that [alumni] support\" he said.

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