Fisher Selected for College Baseball Hall of Fame Induction

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The College Baseball Foundation, in collaboration with the College Baseball Hall of Fame, announced Monday (June 23) that former University of Michigan coach and Hall of Honor member Ray Fisher will be inducted as a member of its 2025 class.

The 18th induction class will be honored at the 2026 Night of Champions in Overland Park, Kansas, on Feb. 12.

Fisher took over for Carl Lundgren in 1921 and coached the Wolverines for 38 seasons until 1958, when he retired. He holds the Michigan record for overall wins, with 616 total victories — more than 150 ahead of the next closest coach. Fisher guided Michigan to 15 Big Ten titles, one NCAA berth and one national championship.

His accomplishments culminated in 1953, when he led Michigan to a 21-9 record — just the ninth 20-win season in program history. The Wolverines captured their second straight Big Ten title and defeated Ohio in back-to-back games to win the District title. At the College World Series, U-M beat Stanford, Boston College and Texas on consecutive days before dropping a rematch to the Longhorns, setting up a one-game title showdown. Michigan prevailed 7-5 on June 17, 1953, for its first national title.

Fisher’s 38-season tenure is tied for 32nd all-time in NCAA Division I baseball history. He received multiple honors after retiring, including induction into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1959 and selection to the second-ever Michigan Hall of Honor class, joining Fielding Yost.

Fisher will become the sixth Wolverine inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, tying Michigan for fifth all-time with Southern University for most inductees from one school. Casey Close was the most recent Wolverine to join the Hall in 2022. Jim Abbott, Barry Larkin and George Sisler are enshrined for their playing accomplishments, while U-M’s final inductee is Branch Rickey, who recommended Fisher for the Michigan job and coached the Wolverines from 1910-13.