Jimbo Fisher is one of college football’s highest profile coaches. The quarterback position has led him to the top of the game. Leading up to the start of spring practice, 12thMan.com, with a 3-part series, will explore the influence signal-calling still has on Fisher today.
By: By: Will Johnson, 12th Man Productions
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PART 1: THE LESSONS
His work ethic is unmatched by most, and it's not hard to find where it came from.
John James Fisher, Sr. used to wake up at midnight to toil in the coal mines of West Virginia. All so he could work the family's farm during the day.
John James Jr. witnessed the grind first hand. A cycle that didn't stop. Now, he turns in it daily.
Known these days as Jimbo, the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies still isn't afraid to repetitively put in the rigorous labor required to succeed.
He learned it long ago in West Virginia. Time away from the work was scarce, but when he found it, sports came into play.
Jimbo Fisher excelled in not just football, but in basketball and baseball too. But, on the gridiron he became a leader – at the position that most requires it.
Regardless of his status today, he's always been, and perhaps always will be, a quarterback.
Growing up he watched the great ones.
"The Roger Staubachs, Terry Bradshaw, I was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan," recalls Fisher. "Fran Tarkenton was another one that ran around and made plays."
His affection for the Steel City's team is understandable, his hometown of Clarksburg was located not even two hours south of there, not far from the Pennsylvania-West Virginia line.
Jimbo Fisher was a fan of Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers growing up.
Fisher's hometown of Clarksburg, WV was located south of Pittsburgh, not far from the Pennsylvania border.
But when it comes to the college game, Fisher was drawn to a QB very similar to himself.
"Doug Flutie was about my age growing up."
Boston College's Heisman winner was actually a bit older. Flutie's time with the Eagles coincided with Fisher's days as a high schooler.
"We were almost the same measurables, 5' 9" and 180 or 181 pounds," says Fisher.
Doug Flutie's career at Boston College was of particular
interest to Fisher, who states he and Flutie had similar
'measurables'.
Undersized, but determined to overachieve.
"I always had great admiration for him," Fisher recounts while comparing the two. "We played college football at 5' 9" and people said 'you can't do that.'"
"You can't do that."
Fisher's only been at A&M for a little over 3 months, but you can sense that statement has been driving him for over three decades.
After a standout prep career at Liberty High School, his chance to be a collegiate QB came at Salem College, twenty minutes down the road from his home. His head coach was a Salem alum, Terry Bowden. The duo led the program for a couple of seasons in 1985 and '86. When Bowden took the job as Samford's head coach, Fisher went with him.
The Bulldogs did not field a team from 1974 to 1983. Upon bringing the program back, they won a total of six games in 3 seasons. Fisher changed their fortunes in 1987. He threw for 34 touchdowns, including six in two different games. After the 9-1 season, He was named the Division III Player of the Year.
Despite arriving at a new school, coach and QB followed the same path to success.
"I never road the team bus at Salem or Samford," Fisher remembers with a smirk. "I'd always ride with Terry. We'd go over the playbook. I could change what I didn't like, and tell him what I did like."
He had the plan down pat.
"I knew everyone's assignment."
He felt he owed that to his teammates. It's the most valuable lesson the position taught him.
"You can't get caught up in yourself, because there's so many people depending on you."
Once Fisher makes that opening statement, the dam breaks and the responsibilities of the position start flowing.
"You influence both sides of the ball. When you have a good quarterback that has the right mentality the team believes in, that defense is going to play hard. Just get him the ball back, he'll win for you."
"On offense, keeping those guys in the right direction. Helping them whether it's assignments or techniques."
"The coaches. The trust in which the coaching staff puts in that quarterback. You have their jobs in your hands."
He was a real student as a player. In his studies, he quizzed himself often with one question.
"I was a 'why?' guy. I want to know why I'm doing this. If it's wrong, I want to be able to fix it. More importantly, if it's right, I want to be able to repeat it."
He's asked the question ever since. He demanded the right answers from himself when he played. He'd demand the same when he hung up his cleats, and stepped into the coaching world.
