Legendary cross-country coach Joe Fisher dies at 78
Joe Fisher, one of the most celebrated high school cross-country coaches in Orange County history, has died at 78. He died on Tuesday in Olathe, Kan., following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Fisher made his mark in the county during his run with the Costa Mesa Mustangs. He headed the school’s distance-running program from 1969 to 1980.
Under his watch, the Costa Mesa boys’ team won what was then a record six Orange County Championships, the last of them in 1980. Those six titles stood as the gold standard for county cross-country until Dana Hills earned its seventh county crown in 2015.
With Fisher at the helm, the Costa Mesa boys went undefeated in league dual meets over a 10-year period. They also won a CIF Southern Section Division 3-A championship in 1976.
His list of accomplishments left a shining beacon of success for future Mustangs to aspire to reach, a fact addressed by current Costa Mesa cross-country coach Steve Moreno.
“Even now, I go to coaching clinics or they see that I’m from Costa Mesa High School, and he’s the first name that comes up,” Moreno said of Fisher’s acclaim. “Costa Mesa, back in the day, was dominant in cross-country.
“It’s a sad day. He left a legacy that will live on forever.”
The Mustangs were 209-8 in dual meets under Fisher, and he was named the California High School Cross-Country Coach of the Year in 1978.
Following his time at Costa Mesa, Fisher coached collegiately at Fort Hays State University in Kansas, State University of New York at Geneseo, and Moorhead State in Minnesota.
Mark Howard, who ran for the Mustangs from 1978-82 and was a member of Fisher’s final county championship team in 1980, revered Fisher as more than just an athletic coach, but also as a mentor.
“He was a legend,” Howard said of Fisher, noting that the former physical education teacher used to open his home to athletes struggling in the classroom as a study hall. “He had a huge impact in my life, not just in athletics and running, but also in academics.”
Fisher is survived by two sons, Daniel and Brian, and two daughters, Joielin and Robin. He had eight grandchildren.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
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