The Mustangs were up 21-0, confident and in command at halftime. There was still one thing they hadn't considered, though--Mike Fisher was the quarterback for the Wildcats.

Fisher led the Cats on a brilliant comeback that resulted in a 22-21 Gatos victory, a De Anza Athletic League championship and eventually the Central Coast Section title in the 1989 season.

"It was my senior year and we were down 21-0 at the half to Homestead, and likely looking at not making the playoffs for the first time in many years," he said. "We scored three times in the second half, including a last play 74-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion pass to win the game and ensure a shot at the league title, which we won."

Fisher, who won all-CCS and all-league honors as a football and baseball player for the Wildcats, recalls the game as his "most exciting moment" in football at Los Gatos High.

For his outstanding accomplishments as a Wildcat, Mike Fisher will be among the 11 members that make up the second class of inductees in the Athletic Hall of Fame at the high school during ceremonies to be held April 30 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell.

Los Gatos coaches had to know they were getting a special athlete when Fisher walked onto the campus as a freshman in the fall of 1986. After all, he was a Los Gatos Little League all-star, playing for the team that reached the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., in 1984, and later was a Pony League all-star, playing for the club that reached the Western Regional Championships.

But it was at the high school--where he could play both football and baseball--where his talent truly surfaced.

His baseball talent was apparent from the beginning. He made the varsity club as a freshman, winning the team's Most Improved Player award. He ended up a three-year starting varsity catcher. As a junior, he helped the Wildcats win a league championship and advance to the CCS championship game, and as a senior he won all-league first team and all-CCS first team honors as a catcher. He was also chosen to play on the Northern California and state all-star teams.

As outstanding as he was in baseball, he was equally as talented on the football field. The Wildcats posted a 23-3 record during his two seasons as the varsity quarterback, winning two league championships and two CCS crowns. Following his senior season, the accolades came rolling in: varsity team captain; team Offensive Player of the Year; all-league first team quarterback; all-CCS first team quarterback; Los Gatos High School Male Athlete of the Year; and U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete.

The diamond beckoned after his high school graduation and Fisher was off to Arizona State University on a baseball scholarship. But it wasn't to be.

"I played well in the fall baseball program, but I discovered that I missed football much more than I like playing baseball," he said. He left Arizona that spring and returned to Santa Clara University to play football.

Fisher was a redshirt in his first season with the Broncos and a back-up quarterback the next year. A year later, though, Santa Clara dropped the football program.

Fisher was one of the 13 football players who left Santa Clara, transferring to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo to play for the Mustangs.

"It ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me," he said.

Fisher went on to become a three-year starting quarterback at Cal Poly, two-time America West Conference Player of the Year, all-conference quarterback, Cal Poly Male Athlete of the Year in 1994 and team captain and Offensive Player of the Year. He led the Mustangs to the conference title in 1994, and in 1999 he was selected as the Cal Poly Football Player of the Decade by the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

One of his most memorable moments at Cal Poly came in his junior year when the Mustangs trailed UC Davis 21-0 at halftime. He threw for three touchdowns and 300 yards in the second to lead his club to a 32-31 victory, winning the game when he ran for a two-point conversion with just four seconds left to play.

The Aggies had been confident and in command at halftime. There was just one thing they hadn't considered--Mike Fisher was the quarterback for the Mustangs.

Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held on April 30 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell. Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are priced at $90. For ticket information, call the Los Gatos Athletic Association at 408.395.2002.