RIP Pat Fischer – He’s a Hall of Famer in My Book

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October 15, 2024

By Noonefromtampa

Pat Fischer, who was named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins, died October 8th in Ashburn, Virginia. He had been suffering from dementia for a number of years and was 84 years old.

Fischer was one of many players from the 1966-1976 era I had personally met through family friends who did business with the team back then. If you have read any of the obituaries about him, his nickname among his teammates was “Mouse” because of his diminutive size. I think by 6th grade I was taller than him.

By all accounts, he was a fierce competitor on the field and did not back down from anyone. Hall of Fame players such as Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown and Paul Hornung all commented how he was a hard-hitting tackler. Fischer mainly played on mediocre teams with the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Redskins for most of his career. That changed post-merger with the arrival of George Allen who coached Washington to five playoff spots in six years between 1971 and 1976.

Allen’s defense featured an outstanding secondary with players such as Fischer, Mike Bass, Brig Owens and Hall of Famer Ken Houston. The defense relied on the “bump and run” technique to disrupt passing routes allowing the defensive line time to get to the opposing quarterback. Fischer learned the technique with the Cardinals and is recognized by many as one of the NFL pioneers of that technique. The defense was so effective that it led to rule changes where defensive backs can no longer hit an opposing receiver beyond five yards from the line of scrimmage.

Fischer is in the pool again for the Hall of Fame senior committee consideration. Let’s compare stats for him and some of his contemporaries already in the Hall of Fame.

Stat Pat Fischer Lem Barney Emmitt Thomas Mel Renfro Willie Wood
Years Played 1961-1977 1967-1977 1963-1978 1964-1977 1960-1971
Seasons 17 11 13 14 12
Games Played 213 140 181 174 166
Games Started 198 136 157 154 150
INT 56 56 58 53 48
INT Return Yards 941 1,077 937 636 699
INT Return TDs 4 7 5 3 2
Forced Fumbles 3 25 1 12 6
Fumbles Recovered 19 17 7 13 16
Fumble Return Yards 95 163 4 44 39
Fumble Return TDs 1 0 0 0 0
Pro Bowl 3 7 5 10 8
All-Pro 1 2 1 0 4
Championships 0 0 1x SB

2x AFL

 2x SB 2x SB

5x NFL

Fischer’s numbers compare favorably with all these players except for championships. As many voters have indicated over the years, that is a key stat they look at during deliberations.  He played in one Super Bowl in the 1972, in which the Redskins lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins.

Hopefully, with his death, that will draw more attention to his significant on-field accomplishments and lead to his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.