Jimbo  is a popular American Football coach, who gained prominence for leading Florida State University’s team to a victory in the 2014 Vizio BCS National Championship. He’s the current head coach for the Texas A&M University American Football team.

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Age, Early Life, and Education Background

John James ‘Jimbo’ Fisher Jr. is a native of Clarksburg, West Virginia, who was born under the Libra zodiac sign on 9 October 1965, which makes him 58 years old as of 2023. He is the son of John James Fisher, a coal miner who died of lung disease in 1994, and his wife Gloria Fisher, who taught Chemistry at the Clarksburg-based Robert C. Byrd High School; she was an alumnus of Fairmont State University and West Virginia University. Jimbo’s brother, Bryan Fisher, was the offensive co-ordinator for Fairmont State University’s Football team before he began pursuing a teaching career, following his mother.

Jimbo went to North View Junior High School and later Liberty High School in Clarksburg. He matriculated to Clemson University, where he played baseball before transferring to Salem University – then called Salem College – where he played quarterback for the school’s American Football team under coach Terry Wilson Bowden in 1985 and ’86, later transferring to Samford University, Birmingham, after coach Bowden left for the private Baptist university.

Career Beginnings

After his successful college career, in 1989 Fisher joined the Rosemont-based football team Chicago Bruisers, which played in the Arena Football League (AFL). After playing for one season he shifted his focus to coaching, and returned to Samford University to work as an assistant coach under Terry W. Bowden. In 1992, both Fisher and Bowden left for Auburn University, and worked together for several years until Bowden quit in 1998. In 1999, Fisher landed a coaching job at the University of Cincinnati – he served as an offensive coordinator and quarterback coach before he left for Louisiana State University (LSU), where he stayed from 2000 to 2006, and where he coached various successful Football players including JaMarcus Russell, Matt Mauck, and Rohan Davey.

Fisher applied for the head coach position at the University of Alabama, Birmingham in 2006 but the university’s system board of trustees turned down his contract offer. Thereafter, he landed the job as the quarterback coach and offensive co-ordinator of Florida State University (FSU), replacing Jeff Bowden. Jimbo earned a salary of $400,000 in his first season, and subsequently, drafted another contract that saw him get an annual salary of $600,000, and a buyout clause of $2.5 million. The university also promised to pay him $5 million if he wasn’t promoted to the position of head coach by 2011.

Florida State University Head Coach

Fisher was officially introduced as FSU head coach on 7 January 2010. In his first season, he steered Florida State Seminoles to their second 10-win season of the 20th century, with the team also defeating their rivals Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes for the first time since 1999 under Jimbo’s guidance. In 2012, the Seminoles won a conference title, which saw them qualify to play in the 2013 Orange Bowl. Fisher left FSU in December 2017 – in his tenure as FSU head coach which spanned almost eight years, Fisher attained an 83-23 record and led the team to four Atlantic Division titles, three Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, and four major bowl game victories.

Texas A&M University Head Coach

In late 2017, Fisher signed a $75 million, 10-year contract with Texas A&M Aggies. In his first season with the Aggies, he accumulated a 9-1 record and steered the team to a second-place finish (SEC West). In the 2020 season, he led Texas A&M Aggies to a 9-4 record, earning the squad a ranking of No. 4 in the Associated Press (AP) Poll. Before the 2021 season, Fisher’s contract was extended through the 2031 season with a buyout clause of a whopping $95.6 million, which is the highest release clause in the history of college football. Aggies entered the 2021 season with a preseason ranking of No. 6, finishing the season with an 8-4 record.

Awards and Accolades

During his days at Samford University, Fisher was named the National Player of the Year in Division III in 1987. He won the title of Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year in 2001 and AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2013. 2013 also saw him named Rawlings Football College Coach of the Year.

Personal Life

First Wife

Fisher met Candi Fisher (born Candace Leigh Coogler) at Samford University in 1987. He married the Alabama native in July 1989, and the couple welcomed two children, Trey and Ethan Fisher. Trey has played quarterback for the University of Tennessee at Martin’s football team. At the age of six, (in 2011), Jimbo’s younger son, Ethan, was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition Fanconi anemia, which affects the bone marrow resulting in reduced production of white blood cells. As an attempt to promote awareness about the disease, Ethan’s condition was cited in ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast of the game between the University of Pittsburg and Florida State in September 2013. Ethan’s diagnosis prompted his parents to start the non-profit foundation Kidz1stFund, which supports research on Fanconi anemia.

In 2015, Fisher claimed that Candi was cheating on him, which resulted in their divorce in December (2015). During their divorce proceedings, the names of two people whom she allegedly had an affair with came up: the former Florida State University tennis player, Owen Long, and the retired Football player, Taylor Houser Jacobs. Fisher reportedly paid Candi an alimony of around $3.4 million and a monthly child support fee of $4,500, which was much less than she had asked for.

Second Wife

During his coaching days at FSU, Fisher met Courtney Harrison Fisher, who is a Financial Advisor. Courtney has worked with North Florida Financial as a Financial Representative and with Disability Insurance as a Manager. Jimbo started dating her shortly after his divorce and the duo eventually exchanged vows in 2020. The couple hasn’t welcomed any children as of 2023.

Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance

Fisher is of White ethnicity and has a set of green eyes and blonde hair. He stands 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall and weighs approximately 150lbs (68kgs).

Net Worth

Fisher’s successful career as a football coach has made him famous and fairly rich; he’s worth approximately $13 million as of 2023. According to sources, Fisher earns an annual salary of $9 million as the head coach of Texas A&M.

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