Indiana University’s climb from one of the most historically challenged programs in college football to a national championship is the kind of story that feels almost too improbable to be real. It is a journey worthy of a Hollywood script, and someday, it just might become one.

There are countless angles to explore in IU’s remarkable rise, but I want to focus on just one part of the story: Don Fischer.

Don Fischer and I both worked at Network Indiana Radio in early 1983. I was in the newsroom, while Don’s office was on the sports side of the building, so our paths didn’t cross often in those days. Still, even then, his reputation as a dedicated professional was well known.

I next spent meaningful time with Don in the late 1980s at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Each May, I took a working vacation to cover practice and qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. We would talk along the pit wall, catching up and reconnecting with many of the people we had both known during our time at Network Indiana. What stood out then, as it does now, is that Don Fischer is first and foremost a kind and considerate man.

That is why it was especially gratifying to see ESPN give Don a well-deserved shoutout during the national championship game, even replaying his call of the interception that sealed IU’s historic victory. After calling multiple national championship games for IU basketball, delivering that moment for the football program had to be especially meaningful.

Fischer has been the voice of IU football and basketball for 53 years. Very few broadcasters spend that long in one place, and even fewer do it at such a consistently high level. At 78 years old, Don Fischer is still at the top of his game. I called high school and college sports on radio in the 1970s, and at 74, I know I could not perform at the same level today as I once did. Yet Don continues to do the job with the same precision, passion, and professionalism he has shown since 1974.

So, Don, congratulations. I suspect that once the glow of this national championship fades, your thoughts will not linger on what has been accomplished. Instead, you’ll be focused on preparing for the next IU basketball broadcast.

That, after all, is the Don Fischer I know.