|
Pair enshrined as members of school’s record-setting baseball team
Powell residents Dick Fisher and Nevin Jacobs were enshrined in the Black Hills State University Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this fall. Both men were members of the school’s 1979 baseball team, which was inducted along with several individuals at ceremonies on the Black Hills campus in September. “I got a letter over the summer and opened it up and saw that the team was getting inducted into the hall of fame,” Fisher said of how he discovered the honor. “It’s a pretty good honor. I was taken by surprise. In my mind we were just this conglomeration of guys who happened to play for the winningest coach in school history.”
Fisher’s assessment of his college team might be a little on the soft-spoken side. The ‘79 team for which Fisher was an outfielder and Jacobs a relief/closing pitcher was actually the most successful in school history. The squad tallied a school-record 29 victories and finished one win shy of a spot in the national championship tournament.
“It was pretty cool,” said Jacobs, who started his senior season as a relief pitcher in 1979 before his performance cemented his position as the team’s official closer. “You walk into the hall of fame room at Black Hills and you look around and see a few of the kids you played with that are there as individuals. It’s good to know you’re part of that big family now.”
Both men were active in the athletic scene at Black Hills State University. In addition to baseball, Fisher played football as well, starting as a cornerback his junior year before pulling a quad muscle and seeing his gridiron career come to a close when it failed to heal properly.
“We made the decision to let it heal up for baseball season and it turned out that I never played football again,” said Fisher.
Jacobs was also a football teammate of Fisher’s. In addition, he spent his winters competing for the school’s wrestling team.
“It was great to be honored with people you haven’t seen for a long time,” Jacobs said of the induction ceremony. “It was a pretty special team, definitely the best baseball team I’ve played on. I remember we won 10 games in a row that season, but you never think that you’re going to be part of the team that sets ‘the’ record for your school. I’m not sure anyone realized what was being done.”
“I didn’t think much of it at the time,” said Fisher. “You played the sport for the fun of it at the time and I really haven’t thought that much about it since. But it’s a pretty prestigious honor. They introduce you at halftime of a football game and everyone applauds. That weekend was all about us. We rode in a parade. We had a banquet. It was pretty neat.”
Both men have remained an active part of the Black Hills State University community over the years. Fisher returns to campus each year for, among other things, a charity golf tournament. Jacobs says he tries to get back for homecoming, as well as a football game.
“It’s a bit different going back now,” said Jacobs. “You’re not a different person, but people react to you differently when you’re on campus. People walk up and congratulate you on being part of the hall of fame. I’m pleased to be part of that group.”
“Athletics was good to me,” Fisher said. “It got me to college and helped me get my degrees. I didn’t think that much about it since, but now, 30 years later, you get a letter and here’s this neat honor. That’s pretty special.”
|
