OPINION:
I was saddened to learn of the death of the Washington Redskins’ Pat Fischer (“Redskins cornerback great Pat Fischer dies at 84,” web, Oct. 9).
With his height generously listed as 5 feet, 9 inches, Fischer, who wore glasses and looked like a computer science student off the field, was a hero to every kid who has been told he was too small to play the sport he loved.
Competing against players who were bigger, faster, stronger (and in the case of Philadelphia’s 6-foot-8 All-Pro wide receiver Harold Carmichael, about a foot taller), Fischer won his battles by being smarter and tougher.
A master of leverage and timing, Fischer was an All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler from 1961 to 1977. He teamed with Ken Houston, Brig Owens and Mike Bass, and later with Joe Lavender, Jake Scott and Eddie Brown, to give Washington the NFL’s toughest defensive secondary in the mid-1970s.
A member of the Over-the-Hill Gang, he helped Washington reach Super Bowl VII and retired tied for sixth in NFL career interceptions. He still ranks in the top 20, ahead of Hall of Famers such as Darrell Green.
In a 1975 game against St. Louis, Fischer made an apparent game-saving knockdown of Jim Hart’s last-second pass to Mel Gray, but Mr. Gray’s “phantom catch” was incorrectly ruled a touchdown.
Head coach George Allen said Fischer should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was absolutely right.
STEPHEN A. SILVER
San Francisco
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