Hall of Fame
Basketball (1946-48)
The nation’s most famous and successful coach outside of the professional and collegiate ranks is Hal Fischer, a former Nevada Wolf Pack basketball star. He coached teams to the Pan American Games title as well as numerous world and national AAU championships. Fischer first attained prominence as a player with San Francisco City College in 1937-39 and then played two years with the S.F.O Olympic Club. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army from 1942-46. He led Tonopah AAB against University of Nevada several times, and after the war, he enrolled at the University. The 6-5 center played two seasons for Coach Jake Lawlor’s Wolf Pack, including the famous game in Madison Square Garden when the Pack upset top-ranked St. John’s. Fischer left college to play with the Oakland Bittners, predecessors of the Golden State Warriors from 1947-50. In 1950, he began coaching Army teams at the Presidio in San Francisco and soon was coaching All-Army and All-Service all-stars. That year his U.S. team won the International Games in Manila and the Far East tourney in Hong Kong and finished second in national AAU. The following year, Fischer’s U.S. team won the Pan American Games in Argentina, and all were given medals by President Peron and his wife Evita. The ex-Nevada cager coached four National AAU championship teams, several all-service winners and national teams on foreign tours—winning championship tourneys in Iran, Senegal, Greece and Syria. Fischer also conducted hoop clinics in all parts of the world for 29 years.
