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1948 - 2019

BORN

1948

DIED

2019

About

George Washington High School California State University Colorado State University

Richard Fisher Obituary

Fisher, Richard

Richard Bradley Fisher (Rick) passed away on December 20th, 2019 in Oxnard, California.

Rick was born on October 27, 1948 in Denver to Maxine and Richard Fisher. He is survived by his three children, Tas (Alex) Battles, Zafar (Lila) Fisher and Yasmin (Kevin) Carey and their mother Jeanne Gilbert; five grandchildren; sisters Sherrylynn Coots, Elizabeth Ballard and nephew Rashid Coots (Shawn) as well as many other nieces and nephews.

A 1967 graduate of George Washington High School, Rick was an exceptionally talented three sport athlete who earned all-state honors in basketball, football and track. In basketball, he led the Denver Prep League in scoring his junior and senior years. He is remembered by many at George Washington and beyond as the first league player who could dunk over other players.

After high school, Rick played basketball at Trinidad State Junior College before transferring to CSU in 1970. He was a Western Athletic Conference scoring leader in 1970-71 with an 18.7ppg average.

The 27th overall NBA draft pick in 1971, Rick chose to play in the ABA signing with the Utah Stars in 1971. A hand injury led to an earlier than anticipated retirement from professional basketball.

After his basketball career, Rick became a certified tennis professional who coached at local high schools. As a dad he spent hundreds of hours teaching his kids to play tennis. Rick guided all three to NCAA Division I college careers. His kids are Incredibly grateful for his patience and dedication which instilled in them a love and appreciation for athletics. His gentle personality and infectious laugh will be missed by his family and all who knew and loved him.

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Published by Denver Post on Dec. 29, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for Richard Fisher

Sponsored by The Denver Post.

20 Entries

CSU days

January 5, 2020

Draft Photo

January 5, 2020

January 4, 2020

I graduated with Rick at GW in 1967. What a Great Inspiration!
"Wink" and I ran "track' at Montclair Elementary --- and HE Always Won!! So
Great to 'reconnect' -- thanx to Rick --- in so many 'unexpected' ways!

Karen/ 'Bunny' Josephson
[email protected]
720-320-7101
[email protected]

'Only the heart can see 'rightly'; what is invisible can only be seen with the heart' -- little prince .......
RIP RICK

Yasmin Carey

January 1, 2020

Friends and family I am Yasmin Carey the youngest daughter of Rick Fisher. We will be hosting a memorial for my father the weekend of January 25th in the Los Angeles area. For details please reach out to me directly at [email protected]

Terry Patton

January 1, 2020

Grateful for this man! He was my very first basketball coach at the East Denver YMCA in 1975. We actually played games at Clayton College and practiced there also. He taught me how to respect and play the game that eventually put me through college. We didn't understand how great he was. I recall my dad being thrilled that Rick Fisher was going to be my basketball coach! We just new he gave unconditionally to us. Condolences to the family. Peace Be Still.

Qaasim An-Noor

January 1, 2020

Ra
Thanks for being in my life
Peace & Love

Malik (RCN)

Thomas Edwards

January 1, 2020

Richard and I were classmates beginning in junior high school(Smiley) then onto senior high school(George Washington) was amazed at his true athletic ability in several sports.RIP

Kenyatta Fisher Crawford

December 31, 2019

Uncle Ricky you will be missed Love Yatta

December 30, 2019

Heartfelt condolences to the family. May God give your heart peace and comfort.

December 30, 2019

Love this Brother played sports with Ricky at times he was like a Man playing with boys. But he was always humble and gentle, spoke with him through the years lost contact 201, he was my local dports idol, miss you brother see you in Heaven.

With Thomas; Denver City Park cours

Angela REID

December 30, 2019

We are so sorry to hear of Ricky's passing. Please accept our condolences, may he rest in peace; God be with you.
Remembering his hard work, excelling in Social Studies at Columbine Elementary ~ became a help throughout my life.
You see, he was a new student arriving mid-project & striving for excellence. Ricky embraced our paper mache project, quickly quieting the teasing because he was new and taller than everyone.
I am so glad that Ricky lived his life tuning out the noise - dialed into his purpose.

Sincerely, Angela Butcher Reid & Chuck Butcher

Dave Mays

December 30, 2019

Ricky and I have been friends since Whittier Elementary school, where he would beat everyone at all the Field Day events each year. I'll miss my old friend. Great Athlete! R.I.P. my Brother.

GRACE LEWIS

December 30, 2019

It is with profound sorrow that I extend my heartfelt sympathy to you Sherry(Bernard), Rashid(Shawn) & your entire family.
In those quiet still moments when you think of Ricky smile; and cry when you're missing him. A big brother impacts our lives with memories that will last our lifetime. Ricky was a gift, God gives us our relatives for what always seems like too short of a time in our lives. Cherish those times!
May your faith keep you strong and your memories comfort you!
In sympathy and Love Grace and family!

Ed Maycumber

December 29, 2019

Your dad was legendary at GW playing TJ Manual and East in the old Denver Auditorium Arena with 7500 SRO in attendance. As a kid entering HS I poured over the Rocky Mountain News Sports Page his name and statistics filled articles from September through May. He continued his success at Trinidad JC when it was a powerhouse. He went on to play for JJ Williams Colorado's Winningest DI collegiate coach helping JJ capture 15 of his 352 victories. (CState only played 25 games and only 25 teams made the NCAA tourney.)

The good Lord obviously blessed you with a wonderful father and husband who invested himself in every community he lived in and lives he touched.

Forever Green, Ram Forever.

December 29, 2019

To the Fisher Family:
We share in the loss of a fine man, a gifted athlete and a gentle giant who surpassed racial adversity with grace through a tumultuous era.
He was a quiet leader who redifned prep sports in Denver and inspired a generation.
With our best regards to you through this very sad time,
Jack, Norma, John, Conrad (Wink) & Peter Wehner

Judith Felthaus

December 29, 2019

Rick was one of my students at GW, such a nice young man. I smile at the memory of his frequent side eyes at me, as he sat in row six, seat three! I was so sorry to hear of his passing. My sincere condolences to his family.