Pat Fischer
This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Pat Fischer" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2012) |
No. 37 | |||||||
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Position: | Cornerback | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | St. Edward, Nebraska, U.S. | January 2, 1940||||||
Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 170 lb (77 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Westside (Omaha, Nebraska) | ||||||
College: | Nebraska | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1961 / Round: 17 / Pick: 232 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com |
Patrick Fischer (born January 2, 1940) is an American former professional
.Early life
Fischer attended Westside High School in Omaha and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. At Nebraska, he played safety, tailback, and quarterback.[2]
Professional career
Fischer was pursued by both the
Injuries limited Fischer in 1966, where he had just one interception. Fischer had disputes with Cardinal head coach
In 1972, the Redskins won the NFC Championship Game of the 1972–73 NFL playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, when they limited Roger Staubach, their quarterback, to only 9 completions in 20 attempts for 98 passing yards and three allowed sacks, Fischer and Mike Bass, the other cornerback, being particularly successful in shutting down their wide receivers. But though the Redskin defense allowed only 69 net passing yards, it could not stop the running game of the Miami Dolphins (184 rushing yards) as the Dolphins won Super Bowl VII.
Fischer recorded his first and only playoff interception in 1974 against the Rams in a 19–10 loss in the Divisional Round.[9] Fischer would record his last interception on December 5, 1976, against the New York Jets. He would play a couple of games in the 1977 season but not record a statistic in any of them. A back injury led to his retirement that year.
Legacy
Fischer finished his 17-year career with 56 interceptions, and he ranks seventh all-time in Redskins career interceptions with 27 and fourth all-time with 412 career interception return yards. The 56 interceptions were tied for 6th most in NFL history. In a near half-century since his retirement, he still ranks among the top 20 all-time.[10] At the time of his retirement, Fischer had played in 213 NFL games, then a record for a cornerback. He was well known for his strong tackling skills despite his diminutive size. Some of Fischer's most memorable defensive match-ups occurred against Philadelphia Eagles receiver Harold Carmichael who stood eleven inches taller than Fischer. Fischer's mantra "get a leg up and you own him" is used today to motivate and teach smaller defensive backs how to defend taller wide receivers.
Fischer, alongside fellow Cardinal safety Larry Wilson were prolific defenders, and the Cardinals, in attempting to deal with the problem of having a defensive hole left by a charging Wilson in the safety blitz, found a way to try and deal with the problem in the "Bump and run coverage", in which Fischer would physically harass receivers. Fischer wasn't the first to utilize the tactic, as it started with Willie Brown early in the decade of the 1960s, but Fischer and defensive coordinator Chuck Drulis utilized the coverage to great effect.[11][12]
In the late 1980s, NFL Films named Fischer as the Redskins All-Time Neutralizer sponsored by Tums. After retiring from the Redskins, Fischer worked as a stockbroker and owned a successful real estate business. In 2003, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's inaugural HOVG class.[13]
Fischer was nicknamed "The Mouse" for his relatively small size.[14]
Personal life
As of 2014, Fischer was suffering from "dementia, cognitive decline, and severe memory loss"[15] and was residing in an assisted-living facility.[16]
See also
- List of NCAA major college yearly punt and kickoff return leaders
- List of National Football League career interceptions leaders
References
- ISBN 9781591843832. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ^ Janis, Robert (June 30, 2008). "Whatever happened to ... Pat Fischer". Washington Times. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Pat Fischer Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles – September 16th, 1962". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at St. Louis Cardinals – December 8th, 1963". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Mackey v. National Football League, 407 F. Supp. 1000 (D. Minn. 1975) – Justia.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ "1969 NFL/AFL Common Draft Pick Transactions". ProSportsTransactions.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "1970 NFL Draft Pick Transactions". ProSportsTransactions.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Divisional Round – Washington Redskins at Los Angeles Rams – December 22nd, 1974". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "NFL Career Interceptions Leaders Through 1977". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Borges, Ron (October 22, 2019). "Willie Brown invented the bump-and-run, with emphasis on the BUMP!". Talk Of Fame. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Pat Fischer: Legends Profile".
- ^ "Hall of Very Good". Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ Shapiro, Leonard (February 2, 2018). "They were the first Redskins to play in the Super Bowl. Decades later, they're paying the price". The Washington Post.
Known as 'the Mouse,' Fischer was listed in the team's media guide as 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, both exaggerations on the high side.
- ^ Fenno, Nathan (November 7, 2012). "Fight for old D.C. left a trail of injuries". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Shapiro, Leonard (February 2, 2018). "They were the first Redskins to play in the Super Bowl. Decades later, they're paying the price". The Washington Post.