Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
Though he came into the program weighing just 175 pounds, Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Drew Fisher established himself as one of the nation’s top defensive players during four impactful seasons in the Wildcats football program.
Drew was first introduced to Linfield by his high school coach, Chris Knudson, a Wildcat alumnus who brought the Centennial High School team to McMinnville each summer for football camp.
Drew remembers participating in those Wildcat football camps over four successive summers, saying that having the chance to “get comfortable with the campus, learn about the high academic standards, and have role models as coaches growing up who were former Wildcats. All of them influenced my decision to make the move to Linfield for four years.”
As a Wildcats freshman, Drew contributed right away on special teams and in the secondary. Coaches saw him as a natural defensive player who had a nose for the football and never backed down from a challenge.
By the time he was a sophomore, Drew was roaming the defensive back-field freely while playing the so-called “monsterback” position. Leading the Wildcats in tackles in both 2009 and 2011, the Gresham, Oregon, native earned three straight first-team all-Northwest Conference awards and three consecutive D3football.com All-America citations.
Says Linfield football coach Joseph Smith: “Drew understood offenses from his days playing quarterback at Centennial, making him lethal in pass coverage. He was very dangerous to throw on, a hard hitter and an unbelievable leader. He made everyone around him better.”
Teammate Aaron Boehme echoed Smith’s assessment, saying Drew was “the kind of athlete players loved going into battle with, because he brought the heat when he hit people. His savviness and ability to make plays pushed us all to play our best.”
During Drew’s four seasons in the program, the Wildcats won 37 of 44 games, advancing to at least the second round of the NCAA playoffs each season. Statistically, he finished his career with 221 tackles 17 pass breakups, 13 interceptions and three blocked kicks.
Amidst all the success, the former Wildcats football captain and team MVP says his greatest takeaway was learning how to continually strive for excellence:
“Just like going out after a big win on Saturdays, it is imperative that we celebrate even the smallest wins in life. But it’s even more important to watch and review the tape on Mondays to learn how we can improve and get better for the next week.”
Defensive coordinator Jackson Vaughan saw up close how Drew “played the game with tremendous instincts and toughness. To see a player of Drew’s size be the most physically intimidating hitter on the field gave everyone more confidence in their own abilities to hit and to play the game with toughness and ferocity.”
In addition to being an exceptional football player, Drew was widely respected for his people skills, Coach Vaughan says, because he “always had a great deal of confidence in his abilities, but at the same time was humble and had the ability to connect with his teammates in a very meaningful way. In my time at Linfield, I’m not sure we have had a defensive player who demonstrated as much leadership, toughness and playmaking ability as Drew Fisher.”
Having strong family connections were as important to Drew then as they are now: His proudest moments at Linfield came from ”seeing my parents, grandparents, friends, and teammates on the field after every football game. Having their love and support and seeing the joy on everyone’s face made me realize I was in the right place.”
After graduation, Drew went on to play professionally in the German Football League with the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns and the Stuttgart Scorpions.
These days, Drew is a process manager at Nike where he’s worked for the past seven years. He is also helping coach the Mountainside High School football program.
He and his wife, Jen, live in Hillsboro and recently welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Taylor.
