March 26, 1999
SAN DIEGO - Steve Fisher, who coached the University of Michigan to the NCAA Championship in 1989, has been named head basketball coach at San Diego State University as announced by Director of Athletics Rick Bay.
Fisher, 54, has served this season as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. In little more than eight seasons as the head coach at Michigan, Fisher compiled a 184-82 overall record (.692 winning percentage) while competing in one of the nation's toughest basketball conferences -- the Big 10. He is one of only three head coaches in NCAA history to make three trips to the Final Four in his first five seasons and one of just six to have won both the NCAA Championship (1989) and the NIT Championship (1997). Others to accomplish that feat are Indiana's Bobby Knight, Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and Joe B. Hall, Marquette's Al McGuire and North Carolina's Dean Smith. In his eight-plus years as the Michigan mentor, Fisher directed seven Wolverine squads to the NCAA Tournament and appeared in three NCAA Championship games (1989, 1992, 1993). His NCAA Tournament winning percentage of .769 (20-6 record) ranks ninth on the all-time coaches' list.
| The Fisher Files | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fisher Year-By-Year | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All-Time SDSU Coaching Records | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fast Facts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 24, 1945 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Illinois State '67 (Math and Physical Education) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hometown | Herrin, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wife | Angie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sons | Mark (19) and Jonathan (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As A Head Coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Steve Fisher has a proven track record of success at the highest level of Division I basketball," said Bay. "We are extremely pleased to have him join the Aztecs and feel he will fit right in with what we are striving for in our basketball program. We are fortunate to have a coach in Steve who has won more Division I basketball titles and been to the Final Four more than any head coach currently in our Mountain West Conference."
Fisher had been an assistant at Michigan for six seasons when he took over the head coaching reins on an interim basis just two days prior to the 1989 NCAA Tournament. He led the Wolverines through the tourney field, capped by an 80-79 overtime win over Seton Hall in the national championship game. During his tenure at Michigan, Fisher's squads compiled a 25-7 record (.781) in NCAA and NIT tournament play. He was named National Coach of the Year by Basketball Times following a 25-9 season in 1991-92 and directed UM to a 24-11 record and NIT crown in 1996-97, his final season as Wolverine head coach.
"My family and I are elated to be coming to San Diego State University," said Fisher. "Our excitement starts with Rick Bay, whom I have known for a long time. I have great respect for him and a firm belief in his leadership. I feel the Aztec basketball program has unlimited potential. This is an outstanding university that exists in a beautiful community. I can see no reason why this cannot be a successful, solid, consistent program and I have a tremendous sense of responsibility to make sure that potential is achieved."
Fisher began his coaching career at the high school level (Rich East HS in Park Forest, Illinois) where he stayed for eight years. He went on to become an assistant coach at Western Michigan University for three seasons (1979-80 through 1981-82) before beginning his 15 seasons in Ann Arbor as an assistant during the 1982-83 season.
During his eight full seasons at the Michigan helm, Fisher's teams finished among the Big Ten's top three teams five times. His Big Ten Conference record stands at 88-56, a winning percentage of .611. The Wolverines achieved the 20-win plateau six times in those eight years and had just one losing season. During his head coaching tenure with the Maize and Blue, Michigan was one of the league's best defensive teams, setting a conference record for field goal defense in 1995 by holding opponents to 39.4% shooting. In 1991, he signed what some experts call the greatest recruiting class in NCAA history in Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber -- The Fab Five. In all, ten Fisher-coached Wolverines have been selected in the NBA's first two rounds with seven of those being first round picks.
A native of Herrin, Illinois, Fisher was a three-year letter winner in basketball at Illinois State University, earning his bachelor's degree in math and physical education. He and his wife Angie have two sons, Mark (19) and Jonathan (12).
Fisher becomes the 14th head basketball coach at San Diego State University. He succeeds Fred Trenkle who relinquished his head coaching duties effective at the end of the 1998-99 season. The Aztecs compiled a 4-22 record last year with a roster that included eight freshmen and just two scholarship seniors.
Steve Fisher Year-by-Year Overall Big Ten Conf.Year W L Pct. W L Pct. Finish Postseason 1989 6 0 1.000 -- -- ---- ------ NCAA Champions 1990 23 8 .742 12 6 .667 3rd NCAA Second Round 1991 14 15 .483 7 11 .389 8th NIT First Round 1992 25 9 .735 11 7 .611 3rd NCAA Finalist 1993 31 5 .861 15 3 .833 2nd NCAA Finalist 1994 24 8 .750 13 5 .722 2nd NCAA Elite Eight 1995 17 14 .548 11 7 .611 T-3rd NCAA First Round 1996 20 12 .625 10 8 .556 T-5th NCAA First Round 1997 24 11 .685 9 9 .500 T-6th NIT Champions Totals 184 82 .692 88 56 .611 All-Time SDSU Coaching RecordsCoach Years Seasons W L Pct.C.E. Peterson 5 1921-26 71 30 .703 Morris Gross 13 1/2 1929-42 191 85 *.691Don Delauer & 1 1942-43 14 9 .609 Dick MitchellGeorge Ziegenfuss 21 1948-69 316 229 .580 Tom McMullen 2 1/2 1926-29 22 17 .564Charlie Smith 3 1945-48 45 35 .563Tim Vezie 5 1974-79 77 62 .554Dick Davis 5 1969-74 65 67 .492Smokey Gaines 8 1979-87 112 117 .489Fred Trenkle 5 1994-99 55 83 .399Jim Brandenburg 5 1987-92 52 87 .374Alex Alexander 2 1943-45 16 27 .372Tony Fuller 2 1992-94 20 37 .351Jim Harrick, Jr.** 1 1991-92 0 7 .000
* includes one tie
** Harrick replaced Brandenburg for final seven games of 1991-92 season
Note: McMullen coached first 7 games of the 1928-29 season.