Johnny Fisher has made a lot of decisions in his life.
Looking back, Fisher doesn’t need long to identify a few choices that stand out.
At a pivotal time in his life, Fisher decided to transfer from Jackson State University and go to East Mississippi Junior College in Scooba. Not only did Fisher want to get away from an uncomfortable atmosphere in Jackson, but he also wanted to find a place amidst the upheaval of the Civil Rights Movement where he could play football and concentrate on his academics.
“It is probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” Fisher said Monday of his decision to go to Scooba.
Today, the former standout at R.E. Hunt High School and All-American at EMJC will reap a reward from his decision when he is inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame at Hinds C.C.’s Rankin campus.
“It is not only for me, but it also is for my teammates and for the school,” Fisher said of being recognized. “That is who were were representing: The school. That is the most important thing. When we put the uniform on we were not there to think about yourself but how it affects the overall institution. What we were trying to do was to prove we were young men and that we were striving to do the best we could.”
Fisher, who was born and raised in Columbus, did that and more. In high school, he was a first-team all-conference performer in football and track. In football, he scored 25 touchdowns and was named MVP of the Elks Bowl as a senior after being moved from wide receiver and defensive back to running back for his senior season. He accepted a football scholarship to attend Jackson State and spent the 1968 football season at the school, but he grew uneasy about the tenor of race relations in the capital city and opted for a quieter place closer to home where he could re-focus on his goals.
After transferring to EMJC for the 1969-70 academic year, he became A.J. Kilpatrick’s starting tailback and helped lead the Lions to a 9-1 record and runner-up finish among Mississippi’s junior college football ranks in 1969. As a sophomore, Fisher earned National Junior College All-American honors and was named to Mississippi’s All-State/North Division squad.
Fisher said Scooba’s location away was ideal because there wasn’t a lot for the student-athletes to do so they had to focus on their studies and their sport. He said he enjoyed the “safe haven” he found in Scooba and was embraced by a community that is passionate about its school’s sports teams.
Fisher said he was among a handful of African-Americans at the school and that there weren’t any incidents in part because the whites and blacks on the football team stood up for each other and built friendships and bonds that last to this day.
“We found that we all were human beings and that we all had a goal to accomplish,” Fisher said. “We were all part of a team. That was unique. We wanted to play. We did not get caught up in the social issues. Sure, we got called names by people, but we defended each other. It was all about EMCC and all about winning. We just looked at it that way. We learned, we studied together, we ate together. We didn’t get caught up in the things that were happening in other parts of Mississippi. To me that was unique, and it has carried on to today. It is a joy because I think we made a difference.”
Fisher, who went on to earn a football scholarship to the University of Maryland, feels he and friends like Gary Brown, a fullback who opened holes for him, Terry Brown, and Charlie Studdard, set the example for future classes and for young people today. He hopes that all young people recognize the importance of an education and how it is crucial to set goals and to stay focused on accomplishing them.
Fisher said his time at EMJC helped set him on that path. He received his bachelor’s degree in sociology (minor in criminal justice) from Maryland in 1973. He went on to earn his master’s degree in criminal justice in 1977 from Coppin State University in Baltimore, Md.
After graduating from college, Fisher became a law enforcement officer in Washington, D.C. He then joined the Baltimore City Police Department, where he received commendations and awards from the Baltimore City Mayor, the Governor of Maryland, and the Maryland State Senate. He then joined the United States Drug Enforcement Agency as a special agent for the Baltimore Division.
Fisher’s work with the DEA carried him all over the country, including undercover work in the Midwest. While serving in Philadelphia, Pa., Fisher was credited with dismantling a Jamaican drug gang that had terrorized the area for years. As a result of this work, the U.S. Attorney, along with other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, established the Violent Traffickers Project for Pennsylvania.
The recipient of Maryland gubernatorial and legislative awards, Fisher most notably received the DEA’s Administrator’s Award for initiating an Anti-Drug Prevention Program and for his outstanding contributions to the Drug Interdiction Program at the St. Louis (Mo.) Metropolitan Airport. Prior to retiring from his law enforcement career in 2005, Fisher was in charge of programs centering on asset forfeiture, financial investigation and organized crime drug enforcement task force.
Fisher said his ability to stay focused on his education paved the way for him to be able to earn those awards. He said that mind-set was reinforced in his time at EMJC and he could tell that his stay there was going to lead the big things for him.
“The one thing that was pushed on me was that I couldn’t be a failure,” said Fisher, who is a criminal justice instructor at EMCC’s Golden Triangle branch in Mayhew. “I met a lot of good people (at EMJC), and I met some good friends. The whole bunch of guys I met when we got there, I love them like brothers. All we wanted to do was to play football and to get an education. … We had a good time. Those memories will live with the for the rest of my life.”
Fisher moved home to Columbus following his retirement from law enforcement. He is married to the former Currie Jean Brewer, of Columbus, and they have one son and one daughter and are proud grandparents of one granddaughter.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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