Inductees

The phone call came into Mark Fisher’s office in early 2003, and on the other end of the line was the longtime athletic director of Springfield Public Schools asking to go to lunch.

At the time, Fisher was pretty content. He was 22 years into a successful high school basketball coaching career and, that year, doubling as a small-school athletic director for the first time. Edsel Matthews, however, was seeking a successor.

“Dr. Matthews called and wanted to know what my interest level was. It was zero,” Fisher said, laughing. “The next thing I knew, I had a new position. … And I didn’t go to lunch with him ever again.”

What transpired over the next 16 years as a sports administrator at SPS and then Drury University – and given his basketball coaching success – is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Fisher with the Class of 2019.

As SPS Athletic Director from 2003 to 2014, Fisher oversaw five high schools and nine middle schools with supervision of more than 300 employees.

One of his greatest achievements was spearheading a $3.5 million fundraising effort that led to facilities improvements – new artificial turf on football fields, scoreboards and track surfaces – in 2012.

“And we did it without going to the taxpayers,” Fisher said. “We were going through a time when surrounding communities were building new fields and gyms and we were losing our curb appeal.”

Fisher also enhanced the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. It is an SPS fundraiser that features the nation’s top basketball prospects during a three-day January weekend tournament that draws roughly 25,000 fans. Matthews hatched the idea in the 1980s.

Fisher did the required travel to major showcase tournaments in order to recruit teams with NCAA D-I blue-chip prospects. But he made four notable changes: moved the event into JQH Arena (2009 opened) at Missouri State University, secured a television deal with CBS Sports Network, added a popular slam dunk contest and brought in live bands. He had gained valuable experience by running the Greenwood Blue & Gold Tournament in his years at Greenwood.

Along the way, Fisher also earned the trust of the school board, allowing him and on-site athletic directors to decide what was best for programs, including hiring-and-firing.

Even with his heart in basketball, Fisher balanced SPS Athletics by enhancing all sports, with his hires in football and soccer, for instance, leading to greater participation numbers and consistent success.

“One thought I had when I took the job was, I wouldn’t get to influence kids as much I did as a coach,” Fisher said. “But you could impact many more with the right hire.”

Success continued at Drury. Fisher added wrestling, women’s and men’s bowling and two non-NCAA sports, shotgun and STUNT (a cheer competition). Student-athlete enrollment is 451, up from 285. Drury’s traditional sports have won six conference titles and advanced to 16 NCAA Division II Tournaments.

It’s all part of an incredible journey for Fisher, a native of Fairfax in northwest Missouri who graduated from Northwest Missouri State University.

Fisher began his career at Stanberry (1981-1986) thanks to Superintendent Gabe Shineman, with Fisher coaching against Jerry Armstrong (MSHOF 2017) and two Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductees, Jim Scanlon and Don Edwards. (Fisher also guided Stanberry girls track to the 1982 state title).

He then won 57 games at Owensville (1987-1989) and guided Greenwood (1990 to 2003), winning a 1991 state runner-up.

Overall, his teams won seven district basketball championships, and 21 former players or assistants became head coaches. He also guided five golf teams to top four state finishes.

“My parents allowed us to participant in anything we wanted to,” Fisher said. “And my coaches, they helped me with developing my passion, and that’s why I went into coaching.”

Fisher is a 2015 inductee of the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame and, in 2017, was honored by the MBCA with the Gary Filbert Award for his lifetime of work.

Fisher and his wife, Debbie, are parents to sons Trevyor and Ben and daughter Ashley. Trevyor coached Republic boys basketball to 2013 and 2014 state titles. Ben was on Drury’s 2013 NCAA Division II national basketball championship team – and now is an assistant there. Ashley played volleyball at Lindenwood.

Fisher also credits former A.D.s Bill Rowe, David Stair and Matthews for guiding him in Springfield.

“I’ve just been really fortunate,” Fisher said, “to have so many people put me in a position to have success.”