Five foot, nine inches.
Pat Fischer died last October 8th. The 5’9” St. Edward, Nebraska native was a top-notch quarterback and defensive back for the rather mediocre Cornhuskers (sadly before the Devaney-Osborne era) though he quarterbacked Nebraska to two upsets of Oklahoma.
But he was 5’9”.
Both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Dallas Texans were interested in Fischer as a defensive back. But he was 5’9”, they said, as if he needed reminding.
So, he was drafted in the 17th round by the Cardinals, and he made the team because he was incredibly strong and an excellent tackler and pass defender. With Larry Wilson scaring off pass attempts at safety, QBs would challenge Fischer (because he was, well, 5’9”) not realizing that he was a master of the “bump and run”, in which height doesn’t make a damn bit of difference.
And at the age of thirty, Redskins coach George Allen traded for Fischer, and his 5’9” frame was a feature of the “Over the Hill Gang” for six years. And often he would face off against 6’8” Harold Carmichael of the Eagles…and Fischer (5’9”) OWNED Carmichael.
He was very successful in the business world following his 1976 retirement, where being 5’9” is far less important. But like many pro athletes, his health failed in retirement, as he developed dementia and sadly spent the last ten years of his life in a nursing home where he passed.
And he was proud to be 5’9”.
Here’s a video with some cool highlights of Pat Fischer
