North Carolina State University Athletics
Levar Fisher Named ACC Defensive Player of the Year
11/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
Levar Fisher isn't into setting 'realistic goals.' As far as NC State's 6-1, 223 pound junior linebacker is concerned, there's nothing to be gained by aspiring to be adequate. Why even bother to put on a uniform if your goal isn't to be the best?
"When coach Amato first came in, he asked us what our goals were," Fisher explained. "I told him I wanted to be All-ACC and an All-American."
Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato knew right then and there that he had inherited a special football player.
Not only did Levar Fisher reach his goals of being named All-ACC and All-America, he has also added yet another feather to his cap by being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. Fisher becomes the first player from NC State ever to earn ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
"It means so much," Fisher said. "It probably means more to my family and to Beaufort, North Carolina, where I'm from. Coming from a small town and winning an award like this is like, wow! It's a big surprise. My goal was to be All-ACC and maybe All-American, but this is like a bonus."
Statistics sometimes blur the effectiveness of a defensive player, but in Fisher's case, the numbers do tell the story. His 166 tackles this season led the entire nation. He also posted 10 or more tackles in 10 of NC State's 11 regular season games, including a season-high 21 tackles at Maryland. Fisher also tallied 20 tackles against Florida State and 19 versus Clemson.
Last spring, Amato and defensive coordinator Buddy Green made a calculated decision to move Fisher from strong side linebacker to the weak side, away from the tight end. The rest, they say, is history.
"They moved me to weak side linebacker to where I could just run," Fisher said. "I fell in love with coach Amato as soon as he did that. He opened me up and let me run wild. We're going to win a lot of games with this defense."
After winning seven games during Amato's first season as head coach, Fisher and the Wolfpack are planning a trip to Miami, where they will meet Minnesota in the MicronPC.com Bowl on December 28.
