DR. ROBERT "BOB" FISHER retired in 2010 after 42 seasons as head coach of the Baldwin Wallace University baseball program. Coach Fisher was the winningest head coach in the history of the College for any sport with an amazing 700 career wins (700-641-14 overall).
For 42 years, Coach Fisher built the Yellow Jacket program into one of the best in the Ohio Athletic Conference, Mideast Region of Division III and all of NCAA Division III. In addition to being one of the top baseball coaches in Div. III, Coach Fisher was a longtime assistant coach and the defensive coordinator for BW's nationally-renown football program.
Fisher had many outstanding moments on the diamond at BW and on the road. On May 4, 2010 in Berea, Fisher won his 700th career game when the Yellow Jackets defeated Muskingum University, 7-0, in game one of a doubleheader at Heritage Field. On March 8, 2005 in Ft. Myers, Florida, Fisher won the 600th and 601st games of his career as the Yellow Jackets swept Dominican (Ill.) College, 9-4 and 4-0, on its annual spring break trip.
In addition, Fisher was selected by his fellow OAC coaches as the 1996 Coach of the Year. It was the fourth time in his career that he had been honored with the award. The last 35 Fisher-coached squads won 10 or more games while 14 teams won 20 or more contests. Both his 1991 and 2002 teams set and then tied the school-record for wins in a season with 25. BW advanced to the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament four times and the OAC Playoffs 16 times.
Coach Fisher, who came to BW as a student in 1959, spent his entire career as a professor/teacher and coach at the College. In addition to being a professor in the HPE Division, where he developed a reputation as an outstanding instructor and spent a number of years as the faculty chair of the Division of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Bob Fisher was a department chair, the advisor to BW's Chapter of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a member of the football coaching staff for more than 35 years, including serving as its Defensive Coordinator for 20 seasons.
Fisher received his master's degree from Kent State University in 1968 and his doctorate in health education from The Ohio State University in 1988. He was a professor of health education and an Academic Program Coordinator for the health promotion and education major. Fisher also was a member of numerous professional associations in health promotion and education.
UPDATE: In 2016, Baldwin Wallace University dedicated its baseball field and changed the name of the facility from Heritage Field to Fisher Field. More than 500 alumni and dignitaries attended the ceremony.