Pat Fischer, an All-Pro cornerback who was chosen three times for the Pro Bowl during his 17-year NFL career with St. Louis and Washington, has died. He was 84.
A Washington Commanders spokesperson said Tuesday the family informed the team of Fischer’s death. A cause of death was not immediately available.
Fischer played in the league from 1961-77, was first-team All-Pro in 1964 and was picked for the Pro Bowl in ‘64, ’65 and '69. His spent his first seven years with the St. Louis Cardinals and his final 10 with Washington, making 57 interceptions in 220 regular-season and playoff games.
Before that, he played safety, tailback and quarterback at Nebraska, roughly a two-hour drive from where he grew up in St. Edward closer to the center of the state. A 17th-round pick of the Cardinals out of college, 232nd overall, Fischer is one of the players in Washington's ring of fame.
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FILE - Pat Fischer, corner back for the Washington Redskins, 1970. (AP Photo, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thieves surrounded Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler last month outside a horse racing track in a Los Angeles suburb and ripped an expensive watch off his arm, police said Tuesday. It came weeks after another professional athlete in California was the victim of a brazen mugging.
Buehler was not threatened during the mugging Sept. 28 at the Santa Anita Park horse racing track in Arcadia, police there said. They are investigating two similar episodes the same day that officials say were by organized groups who steal high-end watches in large crowds during events.
Buehler was at the track that day with his wife, McKenzie, and his teammate, starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, to attend the inaugural California Crown races. Buehler, a Lexington, Kentucky, native, is a major fan of the sport.
While walking from the paddock to his seat, Buehler was “unknowingly the victim of a snatch and grab robbery of his watch," his agency, Excel Sports Management, said in a statement.
“We are grateful Walker and McKenzie were not harmed and Walker is focused on the playoffs,” the agency said.
The Dodgers declined to comment and referred media to the Arcadia police.
In one of the three mugging episodes being investigated that day, police arrested a 24-year-old man from Los Angeles. Police said the value of the watches stolen was $100,000 for one and $250,000 for the other. They did not say which one was Buehler's.
The theft came days after Buehler's last regular-season game and a week before the Dodgers began the National League Divisional Series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Buehler is slated to start Game 3 of the series against the Padres on Tuesday night in San Diego.
On Aug. 31, San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall was walking alone to his car after shopping at luxury stores in San Francisco's Union Square when the NFL player was robbed at gunpoint by a teenager who took his Rolex watch and other expensive jewelry, prosecutors said.
A struggle ensued, and gunfire from the teen struck both Pearsall and the suspect, who was shot in the arm. Pearsall was shot through the chest at close range, officials said. His mother, Erin Pearsall, posted on social media that the bullet went through the right side of her son’s chest and out his back without striking vital organs. He was released from the hospital a day later.
Smash-and-grab thefts have been captured on videos in cities from Los Angeles to San Francisco and gone viral, feeding widespread concern about crime in the state. Voters will decide on a ballot measure that would roll back parts of a 2014 law that made many nonviolent thefts misdemeanors instead of felonies.
Associated Press reporter Beth Harris contributed to this report.
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Walker Buehler sits in the dugout after the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Walker Buehler delivers to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler looks on during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
