Fisher, from walk-on to watch list

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NEW YORK - Louisiana center Chris Fisher was named to the Rimington Trophy 2008 Spring Watch List as released by the Rimington Trophy committee on Wednesday. Fisher, a second team All-Sun Belt selection in 2007, was one of two Sun Belt centers named. Florida International’s Brad Serini also appears on the list. A native of Lafayette, Fisher was a Freshman All-American by The Sporting News in 2006. He’s started a total of 20 games over his two seasons, helping the Cajuns running game amass 5,283 yards and 43 touchdowns during that span. “It’s a great honor to be named to the Rimington watch list,” Louisiana head coach Rickey Bustle said. “Chris is a leader on our offensive line and I think he deserves to win the award. “He’s been part of one of the nation’s top rushing offenses the last two seasons – starting since his freshman year.” Last season, Fisher was a vital part of the Cajuns offensive line that paved the way for the Sun Belt’s first ever 3,000-yard rushing team (3,019). The Cajuns 251.6 rushing yards per game ranked 7th nationally and first in the SBC by more than 500 yards. The team averaged a Sun Belt-record 5.6 yards per carry en route to producing two 1,000-yard rushers. In addition, the Cajuns ranked 19th in the NCAA in fewest sacks allowed. Fisher has also made two appearances on the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List for academics. RaginCajuns.com Daryl Cetnar

[gridiron]

Way to go Chris. From walk-on to starter to Rimington watch list, Bustle's preferred walk-on system is paying dividends.

[RaginDave]

I heard a rumor from a couple of sources that said there is a possibility that Ryan Glazer may actually be playing for the Cajuns, can anyone confirm and/or deny this rumor.

It would be nice to see him on the field.

[NewsCopy]

 UL — Chris Fisher still finds it hard to believe that the dream he’s living is actually a reality. Three years ago, there wasn’t a single school in the nation offering Fisher a football scholarship.

Not only did Fisher have to walk on to play for the University of Louisiana, but he had to learn an unfamiliar position before he could challenge for playing time.

Earlier this year, Fisher received perhaps the ultimate compliment for working from obscurity to All-Sun Belt Conference performer.

Fisher is currently one of 42 players on the prestigious watch list for the annual Rimington Award, presented at the end of the season to college football’s best center.

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By BOB ARDOIN
Special to The Advocate

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NEW YORK – The Rimington Trophy committee released its 2008 Fall Watch List and Louisiana center Chris Fisher continues to be a candidate.

Fisher was named to the Rimington Trophy 2008 Spring Watch List as released by the Rimington Trophy committee on May 7.

Fisher, a second team All-Sun Belt selection in 2007, was one of three Sun Belt centers named. Florida International’s Brad Serini and Troy’s Danny Franks also appear on the list.

The fall watch list contains 43 players, one more than the spring list.

A native of Lafayette, Fisher was a Freshman All-American by The Sporting News in 2006. He’s started a total of 20 games over his two seasons, helping the Cajuns running game amass 5,283 yards and 43 touchdowns during that span.

Last season, Fisher was a vital part of the Cajuns offensive line that paved the way for the Sun Belt’s first ever 3,000-yard rushing team (3,019). The Cajuns 251.6 rushing yards per game ranked 7th nationally and first in the SBC by more than 500 yards. The team averaged a Sun Belt-record 5.6 yards per carry en route to producing two 1,000-yard rushers. In addition, the Cajuns ranked 19th in the NCAA in fewest sacks allowed.

Fisher has also made two appearances on the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List for academics.

About the Rimington Trophy

The nine-year old trophy is presented by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Past recipients include Nebraska's Dominic Raiola, Ohio State's LeCharles Bentley, Miami's Brett Romberg, Virginia Tech's Jake Grove, co-winners Michigan's David Baas and LSU's Ben Wilkerson, Minnesota's Greg Eslinger, West Virginia's Dan Mozes, and Arkansas’ Jonathan Luigs. Since its inception the Rimington Trophy Award has raised over $1.3 million for the award's benefactor, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is hosted by the Boomer Esiason Foundation that to date has raised over $65 milllion for CF Research.

Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman.

The Rimington Trophy is a fully accredited member of the National College Football Awards Association.

RaginCajuns.com

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  Louisiana center Chris Fisher has been named to the CoSIDA Academic First Team All-District 2008-09 Football Team. First Team members from each district advance to a second round of voting to see who will be named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America.

Fisher earned first team honors in District 6 thanks to a 3.48 GPA in accounting.

Fisher was named to the 2008 Rimington Trophy Watch List. He is a two-time member of the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List (3.5-4.0 GPA) and was also on the Sun Belt Honor Roll (3.0-3.49). Fisher is the starting center for the Cajuns offense, ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing yards (301.25/gm) and No. 8 in total offense (491.5) this season. Louisiana has won five of its last six games, scoring an average of 43.5 points per game. Fisher helped lead the Cajuns to four straight games of 300-plus yards rushing including a school-record 556 rushing yards at ULM (10-4-08).

In 2007, Fisher was a starter on the offensive line which paved the way for the Sun Belt's first 3,000-yard rushing team.

RaginCajuns.com

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  Chris Fisher is on the watch list for both the Rimington Trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award.

The Rimington Trophy committee released its 2009 Spring Watch List, and for the second year in a row, Louisiana’s Chris Fisher appears on the list.

Fisher’s name also appears on the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List alongside teammate Brad Bustle. Both Fisher and Bustle were named first team All-Sun Belt selections in 2008.

The list includes 12 returning players from the 2008 Watch List. In all, there are 44 players on the Watch List. The SEC checks in with the most candidates, with six players being named. The ACC, Big-12, Big Ten and WAC are represented by five players each on the Watch List.

While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:

* American Football Coaches Association

* Walter Camp Foundation

* Sporting News

* Football Writers Association of America

Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place Centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two Centers. Our policy is to count all players that play primarily the Center position for their respective teams as Centers, even though they maybe listed as guards or tackles on the four All American teams.

The Center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the Center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.

The winner will be honored at Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb., on January 17, 2009.

UL SI

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  Louisiana center Chris Fisher was named to the 2009 Outland Trophy Watch List on Tuesday afternoon, marking the third watch list for the senior heading into this season.

Fisher's name also appears on the Rimington Trophy Watch List and the Lombardi Award Watch list. He is the only player from the Sun Belt Conference on the Outland Trophy list.

The Southeastern and Big 12 conferences dominated the 40-man watch list that was featured on ESPN's "College Football Live." The SEC placed 10 players on the list and the Big 12 had nine, with no other conference having more than four players on the prestigious list.

Every Division I Bowl subdivision conference, along with Notre Dame, had at least one player on the annual list, which includes only interior linemen - tackles, guards and centers on both sides of the ball.

The Outland Trophy, presented annually since 1946, is the third oldest award in major college football. The winner of the Outland Trophy, named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn and Kansas at the turn of the century, will be announced on the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be held on Jan. 14 in Omaha, Neb.

UL SI

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  Chris Fisher’s list of preseason accolades grew again on Tuesday. UL’s senior center was named to the watch list for the Outland Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top interior offensive or defensive lineman.

The former walk-on from St. Thomas More was the lone representative from the Sun Belt Conference among the 40 players on the Outland Trophy watch list. Fisher had already made watch lists for the Rimington Trophy (top center) and Lombardi Award (top lineman or linebacker) and is a preseason all-conference selection.

“I’ve always had the attitude that I feel blessed and appreciative to get these types of honors because they’re out there, not because I’m seeking them out,” said Fisher, going into his fourth year as a starter. “I strive to be the best player I can be, but I’m more concerned about our team and doing what I can to get us to the next level — into a bowl game and a conference title.”

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  When your name is Fisher, the nicknames come easy: “big fish,” or even “fish sticks” as some teammates preferred. Perhaps the strangest one that stuck for Chris Fisher came from UL offensive coordinator Ron Hudson.

About a week into training camp in Fisher’s redshirt freshman year, Hudson, who at that time was offensive line coach, noticed something in the overly quiet and reserved young player: a newfound tenacity and refusal to back down, even to much bigger opposition from across the line of scrimmage.

“I noticed he was pretty good,” Hudson recalls. “And you know his name’s Fisher. I said, ‘you’re a tough fisher. You’re a tough fish. You’re a muskie!”

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Fisher becomes ironman at center for UL

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[RealCajun70]

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Would be nice if they actually had a picture of Fisher