Fisher Remembers His Valley Roots

Break out the confetti. Strike up the band. Prepare the fireworks. A hometown hero has returned for a special cause.

Jeff Fisher, coach of the Super Bowl runner-up Tennessee Titans, is in town this weekend for a family reunion in Woodland Hills and to host a golf tournament Monday at Tarzana’s Braemar Country Club in support of the Valley Youth Conference.

Fisher, 42, a former Taft High and USC defensive back, agreed three years ago to lend his name and credibility to the youth sports organization. Things were in bad shape. Teams were dropping out and player participation was dwindling.

“Let’s see if we can get it back,” was his mantra.

Fisher competed for the Reseda Rams as a 9-year-old in 1967 and played football in the organization until he reached Taft.

“It’s where I developed my love for football,” he said. “It’s where I got my start.”

With the help of Fisher, youth organizer Bill Speer and many other volunteers, the Valley Youth Conference has grown from 52 football teams four years ago to more than 110 this fall. The golf tournament has raised more than $20,000 for scholarships. Enthusiasm is up, participation is rising.

“We’ve put an awful lot of kids in pads and on the basketball court,” Fisher said.

The fact Fisher has come to town at the pinnacle of his NFL coaching success demonstrates his loyalty and appreciation for a program that provides the first exposure to organized sports for many athletes.

“It’s important to have some kind of an impact,” Fisher said.

What a year it has been for Fisher. He guided the Titans to their first AFC title and lost to the Rams, 23-16, in Super Bowl XXXIV. He agreed this week to a contract extension through 2003 that puts him in the same salary class as the NFL’s top coaches.

And he’s spending Father’s Day home in Woodland Hills.

“It’s always a special holiday when you can spend it with your father,” Fisher said.

Roger Fisher and his wife, Janette, will be surrounded this weekend by 13 grandchildren. They haven’t forgotten the thrill of attending the Super Bowl.

“It was fabulous,” Roger said. “We had a wonderful time.”

The only disappointment was a Titan defeat, and Jeff intends to change that.

“All it’s done is motivate me to work harder to get back and win it,” he said.

For Fisher to maintain ties with the community he grew up in is a refreshing reminder that not all athletes who move away forget the people who helped them succeed.

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Plenty of high school quarterbacks the caliber of Matt Moore would rather transfer than spend their junior season as a backup.

But Moore seems content to play free safety at Hart this fall while waiting for the chance to replace Stanford-bound Kyle Matter at quarterback in 2001.

Moore is 6 feet 4 with Kyle Boller-like arm strength. His father, Don, was a 6-6 pitcher at El Camino Real and drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977.

The family considered changing schools last season, believing Matt would have a better chance to play varsity football as a sophomore at another campus.

“In the long run, the better place to be is Hart,” Don said. “He’s happy he stuck to it.”

The Hart quarterback situation is almost identical to 1997, when David Neill was a senior and Boller a junior. Neill started and got a scholarship to Nevada. Boller came in the next season and signed with California.

Moore is almost certain to become the fourth consecutive Hart quarterback to receive a Division I scholarship. What high school in America has two better quarterbacks than Matter and Moore?

Moore is so highly regarded he was among the few sophomores invited to participate recently in a one-day camp at UCLA for top high school juniors.

He started at shortstop as a sophomore. On Wednesday, he had two interceptions at free safety in a summer passing competition. On Saturday, he had another.

Moore isn’t the only quarterback in the family. Brother Robbie is a 5-5 seventh-grader who could eventually be taller than Matt.

Will Hart ever run out of talented quarterbacks?

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Scheduled to arrive as a freshman running back at Birmingham this fall is Tahj Mowry, who starred in the WB television series, “The Smart Guy.” Birmingham’s backup quarterback is Dylan Haggerty, son of Dan Haggerty, who starred in the 1970s TV series, “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.” . . .

First-year Alemany Coach Craig Schuler is beaming with confidence. Not only does he get to work with the region’s top returning running back in De’Andre Scott, but junior Albert Griffin, a 6-2, 180-pound transfer from Marin Catholic in the Bay Area, enrolled this month. He’s the nephew of former USC running back Aaron Emanuel.

“We’ll have the No. 1 and No. 2 tailbacks in the Valley,” Schuler said. . . .

Two young pitchers turned in impressive performances in American Legion games this week. Junior left-hander Bobby Paschal of Chaminade struck out 15 batters in a seven-inning game against Grant. Sophomore right-hander Justin Cassel of Chatsworth pitched a three-hitter in a 10-2 victory over Kennedy.

Cassel was supposed to replace his brother, Matt, as the quarterback at Chatsworth, but he has decided not to play football. Sophomore Jason Moss will be the Chancellors’ quarterback this fall. . . .

Tim Leary has resigned as pitching coach at UCLA. It’s too bad Scott Muckey of Crespi doesn’t consider a return to college coaching. Since 1993, Muckey has sent 10 pitchers to Division I schools and one to the major leagues. He truly is a pitching guru. . . .

Former Cleveland High pitcher Mike Schultz, a second-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, stands 6 feet 8. Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks is 6-10. Together they could be Big Unit and Junior Unit.

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or [email protected]