Harry Fisher
Inducted:
1974
Stats
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
150 lb (68 kg)
Born
February 6, 1882
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died
December 29, 1967
New York City, New York, U.S.
Position
Contributor
College
Columbia (1902–1905)
Harry Fisher was an essential architect of collegiate basketball, dedicating his life to framing its rules, structures, and early national prominence. While his career predated the NBA, his executive work laid the logistical foundation for the organized leagues that followed. After starring as a player at Columbia University, Fisher became the program's first full-time paid coach, a milestone that helped legitimize coaching as a professional career.
His off-court contributions were immense; he served on the original four-person committee tasked with standardizing basketball's regulations and spent a decade editing the definitive national collegiate rulebook. Later recruited by General Douglas MacArthur to elevate the athletic profile of the U.S. Military Academy (Army), Fisher coached a legendary undefeated team. For his visionary administrative leadership, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a Contributor in 1974.
Fisher's Awards & Honors
- Helms national champion (1910)
- 3× EIBL champion (1911, 1912, 1914)
- Helms Hall of Fame (1945)
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
- Consensus All-American (1905)
- First Full-Time Paid Coach in Columbia University history
NBA Position
Athletic Director
Notable Contribution
Career Coaching Record:
189–60 (.759 winning percentage)
Schools Coached:
Fordham, Columbia, St. John's, and Army
Undefeated Season:
17–0 record with Army (1922–1923)
National Rulebook Editor:
Editor of the Collegiate Rules Committee and Collegiate Guide (1905–1915)
Columbia Athletic Director:
From 1911 to 1917