West Central Michigan News

Football was a job and a career for Eric Fisher. But a decade in the NFL, a Super Bowl ring, and two Pro Bowls add up to many memories.

Nowadays, it's real fun for the former Central Michigan great, who will be inducted into the CMU Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class in a ceremony at McGuirk Arena on Friday, Sept. 20 (6 p.m.) and then introduced at the CMU-Ball State football game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21.

"Just enjoying being a dad," Fisher said this week. "It is a blessing from God to be a father and I'm doing my best to be the best one I can be."

Fisher played at CMU from 2009-12 and will be inducted into the hall of fame with wrestling coach Tom Borrelli, basketball/baseball player Chad Pleiness, gymnast Sarah Dame, track & field/cross country runner Ryan Watson, and volleyball player Kaitlyn (Schultz) Miller.

Fisher became the first Mid-American Conference player to be drafted No. 1 when the Kansas City Chiefs took him with the top pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

He spent most of his career with the Chiefs, winning Super Bowl LIV. He played in 132 NFL games, starting 128.

As a Chippewa, he was named in 2012 as a First Team All-American by Pro Football Weekly, a Second Team All-American by Sports Illustrated, and a third-teamer by the Associated Press. He was a two-time All-MAC honoree and helped CMU to two bowl victories.

He retired after the 2022 season and he, his wife, and two children split time between Kansas City and northern Michigan.

Fisher was relatively unheralded coming out of Stoney Creek High School in suburban Detroit's Rochester. He had just two scholarship offers and chose Central Michigan over Eastern Michigan.

"Just having the opportunity to play college football was such a blessing in and of itself," he said. "When I was in high school, I didn't realize I'd have the opportunity to play college football and when I was in college I didn't realize I was going to have the opportunity to play pro ball."

"I just continued to work, and those opportunities presented themselves along the way."

Fisher said he holds dear memories made while in Mount Pleasant and later in the NFL.

"I think relationships are such a big part of the game that you cherish," he said. "A lot of memories from my time there."

"The friendships that I've made along the way... it's amazing how relationships made in college show their face later on in life."

Durability marked Fisher's career despite dealing with injuries common among professional athletes.

"Ten years playing offensive line in the NFL will definitely take its toll on you," he said. "It's part of the game... everyone knows that going into it."

"Right now it's me doing everything I can do to give myself...the best chance at a long life..."

Fisher helped pave way for Super Bowl success protecting future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes but now faces what he considers an even more significant task: fatherhood.

"I think being a good dad is so important...it's raising good human beings," he said. "That's my main purpose in life."