Jimbo Fisher
Encyclopedia
John James "Jimbo" Fisher (born October 9, 1965) is an American college football
coach and former player. He is currently head coach
at Florida State University
.
As a senior student at Samford University
Fisher was the 1987 NCAA Division III National Player of the Year. From 2000 until 2006 he served as offensive coordinator
and quarterbacks coach at LSU
. From 2007 to 2009 he was offensive coordinator
, quarterbacks coach and, beginning in 2007, head coach-in-waiting for the Florida State Seminoles
. Bobby Bowden
, Florida State's head coach of 34 years, retired after the team's appearance in its 28th consecutive bowl game
on 1 January 2010. Fisher took over as head coach soon after. Florida State is Fisher's first head coaching position and he led them to a 10-4 record during his first season. His inaugural year marked FSU's first 10-win season since 2003
and first appearance in the ACC Championship Game
since 2005
.
before going to Salem College (now Salem International University
) in Salem, West Virginia
where he played quarterback under head coach Terry Bowden
from 1985-1986. When Bowden left for Samford University
in Birmingham, Alabama
, Fisher transferred with him to play his final season for the Bulldogs where he was named Division III National Player of the Year. Fisher still holds multiple school records at Samford.
Fisher played a season in the Arena Football League in 1988 for the Chicago Bruisers
, then rejoined Terry Bowden at Samford as a graduate assistant coach working with quarterbacks from 1988-1990. He was subsequently hired as the fulltime offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After two seasons Fisher moved with Bowden to Auburn University where he coached quarterbacks alongside offensive coordinator Tommy Bowden
. At Auburn Fisher coached several successful quarterbacks including Patrick Nix
, who would later serve as offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech
and Miami. He continued at Auburn until Tommy Tuberville
took over as head coach following Terry Bowden's 1998 mid-season resignation.
Fisher coached quarterbacks for one season at Cincinnati
before joining Nick Saban
's new staff at LSU in 2000. When Saban left for the NFL's Miami Dolphins
Fisher remained at LSU to continue his role with Les Miles
. At LSU he helped to develop a number of outstanding college quarterbacks, including Josh Booty
, Rohan Davey
, Matt Mauck
and JaMarcus Russell
.
Fisher interviewed for the head coaching position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
after the 2006 season but the Board of Trustees, which also governs the University of Alabama
, vetoed the contract offer, sparking some controversy. He turned down an invitation from Nick Saban to join the coaching staff at the University of Alabama to sign a contract as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida State University
. His contract initially guaranteed a base salary of $215,000 with incentives increasing the total package into the low $400,000 range. In a press release on December 10, 2007 Jimbo Fisher was named "head coach in waiting", making him the eventual successor for legendary Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden
. The new contract paid Fisher around $600,000 per year with a $2.5 million buyout clause. The university promised to pay $5 million to Fisher if he was not made head coach by January 2011.
On December 1, 2009 Bowden announced that he would retire from coaching after the Seminoles' upcoming bowl game on New Year's Day 2010 against West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. Fisher began selecting his coaching staff and recruiting players while preparing the team for its bowl game for the last time as a Bowden assistant. The Seminoles sent Bowden out with a victory on January 1. Fisher held his first staff meeting the following afternoon. A few days later, on January 5, he officially became the ninth head football coach in Florida State history.
press conference on 7 January 2010. "Empowered, confident athletes are winners," he said. "My goal is to get the structure, the staff and the support resources in place to facilitate a winning plan and get players into the structure and start effecting change. Now." Fisher then announced his 2010 coaching staff:
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach and former player. He is currently head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
.
As a senior student at Samford University
Samford University
Samford University, founded as Howard College is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist Convention-affiliated university located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It includes the , Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V....
Fisher was the 1987 NCAA Division III National Player of the Year. From 2000 until 2006 he served as offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and quarterbacks coach at LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
. From 2007 to 2009 he was offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
, quarterbacks coach and, beginning in 2007, head coach-in-waiting for the Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
. Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
, Florida State's head coach of 34 years, retired after the team's appearance in its 28th consecutive bowl game
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
on 1 January 2010. Fisher took over as head coach soon after. Florida State is Fisher's first head coaching position and he led them to a 10-4 record during his first season. His inaugural year marked FSU's first 10-win season since 2003
2003 Florida State Seminoles football team
-Schedule:...
and first appearance in the ACC Championship Game
ACC Championship Game
The Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game is an American college football game held on the first Saturday in December by the Atlantic Coast Conference each year to determine its football champion. The game pits the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division in a game...
since 2005
2005 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2005 Florida State Seminoles football team won the 2005 ACC Championship Game over the Virginia Tech Hokies by a score of 27-22. With the victory, they were a selection to go to the 2006 Orange Bowl as the ACC representative in the BCS.-Schedule:...
.
Background
Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Fisher attended North View Junior High School and Liberty High SchoolLiberty High School (Clarksburg, West Virginia)
Liberty High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, that operates as part of the Harrison County School District. The school is located on Davisson Run Road. The school opened in 1976 and its...
before going to Salem College (now Salem International University
Salem International University
Salem International University is an American private university located in Salem, West Virginia, in the United States...
) in Salem, West Virginia
Salem, West Virginia
Salem is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,006 at the 2000 census. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 50 and West Virginia Route 23; the North Bend Rail Trail passes through the city...
where he played quarterback under head coach Terry Bowden
Terry Bowden
Terry Bowden is an American football coach at the University of North Alabama. Bowden was previously the head coach at Salem University , Samford University , and Auburn University . Bowden is the son of former Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden...
from 1985-1986. When Bowden left for Samford University
Samford University
Samford University, founded as Howard College is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist Convention-affiliated university located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It includes the , Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V....
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Fisher transferred with him to play his final season for the Bulldogs where he was named Division III National Player of the Year. Fisher still holds multiple school records at Samford.
Fisher played a season in the Arena Football League in 1988 for the Chicago Bruisers
Chicago Bruisers
The Chicago Bruisers were a charter member of the Arena Football League, playing in the four-team "demonstration season" of 1987. They played their home games in the former Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Rush.-History:...
, then rejoined Terry Bowden at Samford as a graduate assistant coach working with quarterbacks from 1988-1990. He was subsequently hired as the fulltime offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After two seasons Fisher moved with Bowden to Auburn University where he coached quarterbacks alongside offensive coordinator Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden is an American football coach who served as the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008...
. At Auburn Fisher coached several successful quarterbacks including Patrick Nix
Patrick Nix
Patrick Nix is a college football coach and former player in the United States.-Player:Patrick Nix began his career at Etowah High School in Attalla, Alabama. Nix was a standout quarterback at Auburn University, where he came in for an injured Stan White vs. Alabama to help lead the Tigers to a...
, who would later serve as offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and Miami. He continued at Auburn until Tommy Tuberville
Tommy Tuberville
Thomas Hawley Tuberville is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Tech University, a position he has held since the 2010 season...
took over as head coach following Terry Bowden's 1998 mid-season resignation.
Fisher coached quarterbacks for one season at Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
before joining Nick Saban
Nick Saban
Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide football team. Saban has previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins and three other NCAA universities: LSU, Michigan State and Toledo...
's new staff at LSU in 2000. When Saban left for the NFL's Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Fisher remained at LSU to continue his role with Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
. At LSU he helped to develop a number of outstanding college quarterbacks, including Josh Booty
Josh Booty
Joshua Gibson Booty is a National Football League quarterback and former Major League Baseball third baseman. He is currently a free agent after being waived by the Oakland Raiders...
, Rohan Davey
Rohan Davey
Rohan St. Patrick Davey is a Jamaican-born American football quarterback who is currently a free agent.-High school years:...
, Matt Mauck
Matt Mauck
Matthew Mauck is a former American football quarterback, formerly with the NFL's Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans, who is best known for leading the LSU Tigers to the 2003 BCS National Championship.-Minor League Baseball:...
and JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...
.
Fisher interviewed for the head coaching position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
after the 2006 season but the Board of Trustees, which also governs the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, vetoed the contract offer, sparking some controversy. He turned down an invitation from Nick Saban to join the coaching staff at the University of Alabama to sign a contract as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. His contract initially guaranteed a base salary of $215,000 with incentives increasing the total package into the low $400,000 range. In a press release on December 10, 2007 Jimbo Fisher was named "head coach in waiting", making him the eventual successor for legendary Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
. The new contract paid Fisher around $600,000 per year with a $2.5 million buyout clause. The university promised to pay $5 million to Fisher if he was not made head coach by January 2011.
On December 1, 2009 Bowden announced that he would retire from coaching after the Seminoles' upcoming bowl game on New Year's Day 2010 against West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. Fisher began selecting his coaching staff and recruiting players while preparing the team for its bowl game for the last time as a Bowden assistant. The Seminoles sent Bowden out with a victory on January 1. Fisher held his first staff meeting the following afternoon. A few days later, on January 5, he officially became the ninth head football coach in Florida State history.
Head coach at Florida State
Jimbo Fisher's official introduction as head coach took place at a Florida State UniversityFlorida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
press conference on 7 January 2010. "Empowered, confident athletes are winners," he said. "My goal is to get the structure, the staff and the support resources in place to facilitate a winning plan and get players into the structure and start effecting change. Now." Fisher then announced his 2010 coaching staff:
- Rick Trickett, assistant head coach/offensive line
- Eddie Gran, associate head coach, running backs and special teams coach
- James ColeyJames ColeyJames Coley is an American college football coach who currently is the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Florida State University...
, offensive coordinator - Lawrence DawseyLawrence DawseyLawrence Leneir Dawsey is a former American football player in the National Football League and current wide receivers coach at Florida State University. He won the UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year award in 1991. Dawsey was an All-American at Florida State in 1990...
, receivers coach, passing game coordinator - Dameyune CraigDameyune CraigDameyune Vashon Craig is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons for the Carolina Panthers. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for Florida State University.-Early years:Craig played high school football for Mattie T. Blount High...
, quarterbacks coach, recruiting coordinator - Mark StoopsMark StoopsMark Stoops is an American football defensive coordinator for Florida State.-Playing career:Stoops, one of six children born to Ron and Dee Stoops, attended Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio, where his father was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator.After high school Stoops...
, defensive coordinator - Greg HudsonGreg HudsonGreg Hudson is an American football coach . He currently serves as the linebackers coach at Florida State. He has also served as a defensive assistant at Minnesota, Cincinnati and Connecticut and most recently as a defensive coordinator at East Carolina....
, linebackers coach and assistant head coach on defense - Darin Eliot, defensive ends coach
- Odell Haggins, defensive line coach
Personal
Fisher and his wife Candi have two sons, Trey and Ethan. Fisher's brother, Bryan, is the offensive coordinator at Fairmont State University and his mother, Gloria, teaches Chemistry at Robert C. Byrd High School in Clarksburg, WV.Awards
- 1987: Division III National Player of the Year
- 2001: Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year AwardBroyles AwardThe Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles...
finalist