Steve Fisher is perhaps best remembered for his time at Michigan, where he coached the Fab Five and won a national title with Glen Rice in 1989 as the interim coach.
But his time at San Diego State is probably a better lasting legacy (not least because Michigan vacated quite a few wins from the Fisher era). On Monday, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported that Fisher is retiring:
Fisher, 72, had completely rebuilt the Aztecs’ program — which had losing campaigns in 13 of the previous 14 seasons before his arrival in 1999. San Diego State went to the NCAA tournament six straight seasons from 2009 to 2015 — and made a pair of Sweet 16 appearances. The Aztecs were 19-14 this past season and 9-9 in the Mountain West.
Fisher’s Aztecs made six straight NCAA Tournaments from 2009 through 2014. His best year at San Diego State was the 2010/2011 season, when the Kawhi Leonard-led Aztecs went 34-3, notched a #2 seed, and lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the Sweet 16. Most recently, Fisher’s Aztecs went 19-14, and that will be his final season.
Fisher’s overall record, when you factor in the Michigan wins that are no longer officially counted (but still happened, there are YouTube videos and everything) will be 571-290. That’s an excellent career, and his replacement at SDSU will have a much easier job thanks to the groundwork Fisher laid over the last 18 years.
