Ray Fisher (cornerback)
Encyclopedia
Ray Fisher is an Canadian football
wide receiver
who is currently playing for the Edmonton Eskimos
. He was drafted by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft
but did not make the team after the 2010 preseason. He played college football
at Indiana University
and high school football at Glenville High School
.
Fisher is the Big Ten Conference
single-season record holder and the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
statistical champion for kickoff return average.
as a general studies major. He began his career at Indiana as a wide receiver
, but was moved to cornerback his senior year. In his freshman year he played in eleven games, starting one. Fisher finished his freshman year with 24 receptions for 215 yards. In his sophomore year he played in twelve games, finishing with 42 receptions for 482 yards and four touchdowns. Fisher had his first 100-yard game with 106 yards against the University of Minnesota
and a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State. In his junior year, Fisher led the team with 42 receptions for 373 yards and five touchdowns. In his senior season, Fisher was moved to cornerback and saw more time at punt and kick returner. Fisher saw six starts and played in eight games before suffering a season-ending injury in a game against the University of Iowa
. He received All-Big Ten honorable mention from the conference coaches and media. Fisher made 40 tackles, 38 solo, with one forced fumble, one fumble recovery returned for 26 yards as well as two pass breakups. As a returner, Fisher returned 17 kickoffs for 635 yards (37.4 average), with two touchdowns and six punts for 59 yards (9.8 average). He became the second kick returner in IU history to return two kicks for touchdowns, the first being former running back Marcus Thigpen
. Fisher's kick return average led the nation during the 2009 football season, set a Big Ten Conference
single-season average and broke Thigpen's previous school mark for season average of 30.1 set in 2006. He had a career best 35-yard punt return against Northwestern University
and became the first IU player to return the opening kick-off for a touchdown in a game against the University of Akron
. Fisher had a career-high eight tackles, seven solo, with one pass breakup in a win over Western Michigan University
. He earned the Hoosier Big Play Maker Award on special teams and was a five-time IU special teams player of the week.
Fisher led the Football Bowl Subdivision in kickoff return average for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
with a 37.35 average on 17 returns. The 37.35 average exceeded the previous Big Ten Conference single-season record of 34.3 that Thomas Barrington set for the Ohio State Buckeyes
in 1965.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who is currently playing for the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
. He was drafted by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
but did not make the team after the 2010 preseason. He played college football
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...
at Indiana University
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
and high school football at Glenville High School
Glenville High School
Glenville Academic Campus is a public high school in the Glenville neighborhood on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. The school is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Founded in 1905, the school's original campus was located at Everton and Parkwood. The current campus was built in...
.
Fisher is the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
single-season record holder and the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
statistical champion for kickoff return average.
Early years
Fisher graduated from Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio in May 2005. While attending, he lettered in football, basketball and track. Fisher played wide receiver and defensive back for head coach Ted Ginn, Sr. Fisher missed all of his senior season due to injury, but recorded 1,120 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior and picked off four passes. He garnered Northeast Lakes All-District honors as a junior and earned a spot on the ESPN.com Class of 2006 Wide Receivers to Watch List.College career
Fisher attended Indiana University in Bloomington, IndianaBloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
as a general studies major. He began his career at Indiana as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, but was moved to cornerback his senior year. In his freshman year he played in eleven games, starting one. Fisher finished his freshman year with 24 receptions for 215 yards. In his sophomore year he played in twelve games, finishing with 42 receptions for 482 yards and four touchdowns. Fisher had his first 100-yard game with 106 yards against the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State. In his junior year, Fisher led the team with 42 receptions for 373 yards and five touchdowns. In his senior season, Fisher was moved to cornerback and saw more time at punt and kick returner. Fisher saw six starts and played in eight games before suffering a season-ending injury in a game against the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. He received All-Big Ten honorable mention from the conference coaches and media. Fisher made 40 tackles, 38 solo, with one forced fumble, one fumble recovery returned for 26 yards as well as two pass breakups. As a returner, Fisher returned 17 kickoffs for 635 yards (37.4 average), with two touchdowns and six punts for 59 yards (9.8 average). He became the second kick returner in IU history to return two kicks for touchdowns, the first being former running back Marcus Thigpen
Marcus Thigpen
Marcus Arnette Thigpen is a professional gridiron football running back and slotback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
. Fisher's kick return average led the nation during the 2009 football season, set a Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
single-season average and broke Thigpen's previous school mark for season average of 30.1 set in 2006. He had a career best 35-yard punt return against Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and became the first IU player to return the opening kick-off for a touchdown in a game against the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
. Fisher had a career-high eight tackles, seven solo, with one pass breakup in a win over Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
. He earned the Hoosier Big Play Maker Award on special teams and was a five-time IU special teams player of the week.
Fisher led the Football Bowl Subdivision in kickoff return average for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
with a 37.35 average on 17 returns. The 37.35 average exceeded the previous Big Ten Conference single-season record of 34.3 that Thomas Barrington set for the Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
in 1965.