‘Doing It With My Guys’ – Fisher Reflects on ‘Special Journey’
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Reflection time arrives. An Indiana national football championship is won, a 16-0 season achieved, an unprecedented program transformation complete.
For All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher, it’s the payoff for years of work and dreaming. He’s pushed for this, believed in this, led for this, bled for this.
A journey that began at Virginia’s Riverbend High School, shifted to James Madison and then to IU is complete. NFL opportunity will come next, but that is for later.
For now, there’s the chance to consider what’s the most memorable part of perhaps the greatest sports story ever told, that college football’s former losingest program with 715 defeats and holding, is now at the college mountaintop, ahead of Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and all the sport’s other bluebloods.
“I think (Monday night’s 27-21 title-game win over Miami) will probably be No. 1,” Fisher says. ‘It's just been such a special journey for me, starting at James Madison and coming here, betting on myself to be able to transform my game from the Group of Five level to here.”
The record shows that Fisher, once an All-Sun Belt Conference selection at James Madison, pushed himself to All-America acclaim in two Hoosier seasons. In 28 games wearing the Cream & Crimson, he totaled 215 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, seven passes defended, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and countless leadership moments. IU was 27-2 in those two years under national coach of the year Curt Cignetti.
But it was the leadership, the dedication, the quality of character, that separated Fisher. He was a coach on the field in defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ attacking scheme, a dominating factor on one of the nation’s most dominating units.
Now, Fisher’s college chapter is over in the best way imaginable. A team unlike any in program history, fueled by exceptional coaches, players, administrators and support staff, will be celebrated as long as there is an Indiana University. Saturday’s Championship Celebration at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium is only the beginning.
“Every game has a special little moment for me,” Fisher says, “but I think (Monday) night, finally doing it with all the guys, the seven JMU guys left, the Indiana guys. We had some hard times last year with the Ohio State and Notre Dame games (IU’s only losses in an 11-2 season), and finally breaking down the wall, and every big game we had, just kicking the door in to all of them.
“It's a resilient group. It's the closest team I've ever been on in my life. Everybody cares about each other. Everybody loves each other.
“I think when the confetti fell, it's something that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. Just doing it with my guys. I'll carry that with me forever.”
So will center Pat Coogan, who transferred from Notre Dame hoping to win the national title that eluded him with the Irish, last year’s national runner-up to Ohio State.
Mission accomplished.
“It starts with belief,” Coogan says. “There's got to be like-minded individuals who come together for a common purpose, and sometimes that belief has to be a little bit irrational, especially at a place that hasn't had the success like Indiana.
“I haven't been here for long, but I've seen it, and I've seen the way that this place has been characterized, and when Coach Cig got here, he believed, and he got people to believe.
“Sometimes people laughed at him and people thought he was crazy, but that was a little irrational belief. You've got to get people to buy in, and you've got to get people to think alike, and you've got to get people to believe in the mission, believe in what we're trying to do here.
“It takes a village. It takes all of us, it takes a whole coaching staff, it takes all the players, everybody buying in and believing in a common goal, in a common purpose.”
There you have it, the most special moment of all:
Indiana University. National Champion.