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FOOTBALL: Stoney Creek alum Fisher chosen first overall in NFL Draft, concludes long, rewarding journey to the top
NEW YORK – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek High School alum (’09) and Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher became only the fourth player ever from the state’s college ranks to be selected No. 1 in the NFL Draft.
Fisher, a 6-foot-8 305-pound menace at the point of attack, was picked first overall Thursday night by the Kansas City Chiefs in the annual nationally-televised draft extravaganza in New York City.
The road to glory for Fisher wasn’t a dream cruise. He worked overtime to reach the mountain top.
As a prepster, he attracted a mere two Division I college scholarship offers (CMU and Eastern Michigan).
Once he reached campus in Mt. Pleasant, though, it became pretty obvious pretty fast that Fisher was a force of nature on the offensive line. By the end of his freshman year, he was starting for the Chippewas at left tackle.
A two-time all-league choice, Fisher was tapped an All-American by several postseason publications, following a campaign where he and his teammates won the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field back in December.
Throughout the next few months, Fisher flew up draft charts with numerous exceptional workouts in front of pro scouts.
Being the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft for him is made even more special when you consider he became only the third player in the last 20 years to do so hailing from a non-BCS school.
While at Stoney Creek, Fisher was a tenacious presence on the football field and the basketball floor. On the gridiron, he played on both sides of the ball and helped the Cougars to back-to-back league championships, including the playoff appearance in the short school history in 2006. Patrolling the post on the hardwood, he averaged close to a double-double his senior season.
Opened for just over a decade, Fisher was the first student-athlete from Stoney Creek to accept a college scholarship.
Of the four in-state players to go No. 1, Fisher was the second in the past five years, following in the footsteps of Lapeer East alum Jake Long (Michigan) in 2008. Before that it had been a while, since Bubba Smith (Michigan State) in the 1960s and Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon (Michigan) in the 1940s.
