Harry Fisher
Encyclopedia
Harold A. Fisher was an American
college
basketball
coach.
In 1905, while a student and player at Columbia University
, Fisher began coaching the basketball team of Fordham University
, leading the team to a 4-2 record while capturing All-America
honors as a player and leading Columbia to its second straight national championship.
In 1906, Fisher assumed the head coaching duties at Columbia, where he would remain for ten years, during which times his teams amassed a record of 101-39 and won three Eastern Intercollegiate League titles; in 1909 and 1910, Fisher simultaneously coached Columbia and Saint John’s University, helping the latter to a 15-5 record during his tenure.
In recognition of his work at Columbia, Fisher was commissioned by General Douglas MacArthur to coach the basketball team at United States Military Academy
after World War I
; Fisher assumed the job in 1921 and coached three seasons at the school, leaving with a record of 46-5.
For his work in developing the game of basketball, first as a member of a four-person committee that wrote the first rules for collegiate basketball and the editor of the resulting “Collegiate Rules Committee and Collegiate Guide” (1905-1915), and later as athletic director
at Columbia (1911-1917), Fisher was inducted as a contributor into the Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1974.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach.
In 1905, while a student and player at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Fisher began coaching the basketball team of Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, leading the team to a 4-2 record while capturing All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors as a player and leading Columbia to its second straight national championship.
In 1906, Fisher assumed the head coaching duties at Columbia, where he would remain for ten years, during which times his teams amassed a record of 101-39 and won three Eastern Intercollegiate League titles; in 1909 and 1910, Fisher simultaneously coached Columbia and Saint John’s University, helping the latter to a 15-5 record during his tenure.
In recognition of his work at Columbia, Fisher was commissioned by General Douglas MacArthur to coach the basketball team at United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
; Fisher assumed the job in 1921 and coached three seasons at the school, leaving with a record of 46-5.
For his work in developing the game of basketball, first as a member of a four-person committee that wrote the first rules for collegiate basketball and the editor of the resulting “Collegiate Rules Committee and Collegiate Guide” (1905-1915), and later as athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
at Columbia (1911-1917), Fisher was inducted as a contributor into the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
in 1974.