SAN DIEGO – Former San Diego State men's basketball head coach Steve Fisher and ex-Aztec track and field star Ashley Henderson will be honored Thursday evening at the San Diego Sports Association's 73rd annual Salute to Champions inside the San Diego Marriott La Jolla.
Fisher will be inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame, along with distance runner Meb Keflezighi and boxer Terry Norris, while Henderson will be recognized as one of the Association's four Amateur Stars of the Year.
According to the San Diego Sports Association's website, the Salute to the Champions is San Diego's premier sports award gala. The year's outstanding individual and team accomplishments are celebrated and all-time greats are inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame. Stars of the Month and Stars of the Year are also acknowledged, along with individuals who have made significant contributions to San Diego's sports landscape.
The head coach of the Aztecs for 18 seasons, Fisher arrived on The Mesa in time for the 1999-2000 campaign, guiding SDSU to a Mountain West-record 10 conference titles, eight NCAA tournaments and 13 postseason appearances, before retiring in April 2017. During his tenure, he compiled an Aztec career record of 386-209 and finished as the school's all-time winningest coach.
In 2011, Fisher collected his second national Coach of the Year award (Naismith, NABC, Adolph Rupp) after leading San Diego State to its first Division I NCAA tournament victory when it reached the Sweet 16 and established a school-record with 34 victories (34-3). In addition, he helped the Aztecs attain their first top-25 ranking that year when they opened at No. 25 in the preseason poll and peaked as high as No. 4.
A recipient of the 2015 John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award, Fisher also piloted the Aztecs back to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2014 when they amassed a 31-5 record.
Henderson, meanwhile, was a finalist for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year after finishing her collegiate career as a 12-time All-American in both indoor and outdoor competition, garnering nine first-team accolades while winning a school-record 14 Mountain West individual championships. She also owns four school records and holds the conference's standard after receiving the Most Outstanding Performer award at the last five MW championships.
Henderson has now joined the professional ranks with hopes of competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
About the Breitbard Hall of Fame
The Breitbard Hall of Fame, established in 1953 by Robert Breitbard, honors athletes who have excelled athletically in San Diego or who are native San Diegans and have achieved athletic fame elsewhere. Since 1953, the Breitbard Hall of Fame has inducted more than 155 members across 25 sports and includes icons such as Bill Walton, Tony Hawk, Ted Williams, and Tony Gwynn.