NASHVILLE – Former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher on Friday was announced as a 2020 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
Fisher received the news during an appearance on Titans Radio's flagship 104-5 The Zone's Midday180 show.
"Over my career, there's been a few things that caught me off-guard," a smiling Fisher said. "This is on the top of the list. … I am truly honored and I couldn't imagine the company I am going to keep, those that have come before me. This is our home, and it is even that more special to be recognized in your home.
"It is a special day."
Former Titans running back Eddie George later called in the show to congratulate Fisher.
"I am so proud of you, buddy," George told Fisher. "It is well deserved. Congratulations."
An NFL head coach for 22 seasons, Fisher coached from 1994-2010 with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans.
Under Fisher's guidance, the Titans made six playoff appearances, won three division titles, played in two AFC Championship Games and in one Super Bowl. He posted a 142-120 record in 16 seasons with the Titans, and he guided the Titans into the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance during the 1999 season.
"It is an emotional thing for me," Fisher later said during a press conference. "You get in a groove doing things, and then all of a sudden something as great and as special as this is a reminder of everything that we did over the years. … You can't thank those people around you enough, all those that were behind the scenes.
"… The relationships and the experiences and the memories are all coming back and becoming a little overwhelming for me right now."
Brad Willis, Chief Advancement and Operations Officer for the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, delivered the news to Fisher on air as his long-time buddy, former Titans assistant and current Titans Radio analyst Dave McGinnis, looked on with a smile. Fisher's wife, Julie, also surprised her husband in studio.
"From Houston to Memphis, from Memphis to Vanderbilt, and finally to the team's new home on the Cumberland River, Jeff Fisher led the Titans organization to great success on and off the field," Willis said. "Jeff has been a part of the story of sports in the state of Tennessee since 1997, and his career is truly worthy of Hall of Fame recognition."
Fisher became interim head coach of the Houston Oilers during the 1994 season before being named head coach for 1995. He was the state's first NFL head coach after the franchise relocated to Memphis, and then on to Nashville.
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame previously announced fellow 2020 inductees Tony Delk, Bettye Giles, Dick Horton and Carl Torbush. The full class will be released in the coming weeks.
After leaving the Titans, Fisher served as head coach of the St. Louis Rams/Los Angeles Rams from 2012-2016.
"Coach Fisher and I led the state's two most visible football teams simultaneously for many years, and I always admired him from afar," said Phillip Fulmer, Chairman of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and University of Tennessee Director of Athletics. "Some of our players from UT went on to play for him with the Titans. In addition to being an excellent football coach, he is also a really good man. This is a well-deserved honor."
Information regarding tickets for the 2020 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.
