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Joe Fisher
Joe Fisher, who in his 30th year directing the Catholic
University women's cross country and track and field teams, has
guided the Cardinals to tremendous success throughout his tenure.
Fisher earned Capital Athletic Conference Cross Country Coach of
the Year honors four different times with the most recent coming in
2006.
During the 2009 cross country season Fisher guided the Cardinals
to a first place finish at the first-ever CUA Invitational, which
was the first race Catholic University hosted in over a
decade. The Cardinals also won the Hood Invitational, behind
a second place finish from Remy Ball ‘10. Ball then
went on to earn All-Region accolades following a top-35 finish at
the NCAA Regional Meet.
During the 2010 track season Fisher and the Cardinals had a number of highlight-worthy performances led by Kelly Carioto who earned a pair of Landmark Conference Track Athlete of the Week honors. Joining Carioto on the All-Conference Team were Ball, Laura Kinley, Ashley Suermann, Meghan Deitzler and Melanie Mulkern.
Fisher made a positive impact on the CUA program right from the beginning. He led the Cardinals to the Mason-Dixon Conference Cross Country Championship in 1979 and next went on to lead them to the 1982 and 1984 NCAA South/Southeast Regional Titles. Fisher’s 1982 team placed 11th at the NCAA Division III Championships. When CUA was a member of the Capital Athletic Conference Fisher coached three Runners of the Year as well as three Rookies of the Year.
In track and field, Fisher coached the first CUA woman (Carolyn Hughes Brady) to be named an All-American (1981-82) and helped her become the only woman in school history to win a national championship (1982 NCAA 800-meter outdoor title). Fisher also coached track star Janet Muckenthaler, who was named 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year for the District of Columbia. Hughes Brady and Louise Mallet-Kelly, a member of the 1984 NCAA Regional Championship squad, are both members of the CUA Hall of Fame.
Fisher enjoyed an outstanding running career at CUA as he was a
member of two Mason-Dixon cross country championship teams
(1973-74) and one indoor track title winning squad (1973).
Fisher also ran a leg on a two-mile relay team that placed fifth
at the 1973 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.
His outstanding performances earned him AAU (1973) and NCAA (1975)
All-American honors.
Fisher, who competed for the Cardinals under former men's track and field coach Jerry McGee, is a firm believer in the many benefits of athletic competition.
Fisher graduated from CUA in 1975 with a degree in elementary education and later earned his master's degree in education from Morgan State University. An eighth grade social studies teacher in Howard County, Md., he is also the CEO and founder of First Generation College Bound, Inc., a company that has helped more than 750 students become the first people in their families to attend college. FGCB also hosts tutoring sessions and homework clubs for students of all ages. Thanks to Fisher's dedication, the organization has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in support from various civic groups in the D.C. area.
Fisher and his wife, Pat, live in Laurel, Md., and have two children, Mya and Joseph P.
