Fishman, Herman

A member of the Michigan Hall of Honor (inducted in 2002 -- thank you to his son, Steve Fishman, for this information) and the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (class of 1987), Fishman was an All-Big Ten basketball player at the University of Michigan in the 1930s.

After he served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, Fishman and his brother Mickey Fishman (also a member of the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame -- he pitched for the university's baseball team) opened a sports camp called Camp Michigama. The camp, staffed by former college athletes, became a magnet for the best Jewish athletes in the Detroit area. Herman and Mickey ran the camp from 1946-1966.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Fishman was active in Sports for Israel, an organization that raised money to stimulate sports in Israel. Herman was also on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Pistons when the franchise first arrived in the city from Fort Wayne, in 1957, until his death in 1967.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 7, 1917 - d. Dec. 14, 1967

Career Highlights:
An outstanding schoolboy athlete in Detroit in the early 1930s, Fishman was named All-City in basketball, football, and baseball as a student at Northern High School. He also captured the state tennis championship. Fishman then attended the University of Michigan, where he was an All-Big Ten guard in basketball and a pitcher on the varsity baseball team.

As a member of the basketball team, Fishman played in 15 games and averaged 1.7 points per game as a sophomore in 1935-36. The following year, he appeared in 19 games and saw his scoring average jump to 6.6 points per game. Then, as a senior in 1937-38, he appeared in 20 games and averaged 5.0 points per game. As a junior, he was named to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency's Jewish All-American team.

As a sophomore, he led the Wolverines to the Big Ten baseball championship and set a conference record for ERA (earned run average) with 0.86 -- the record stood for 17 years. In all, Fishman earned six varsity letters while at Michigan. After college, Herman became a minor league pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

When the United States entered World War II, Fishman enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was selected to play on the service All-Star team that included such major leaguers as Bob Feller (and was managed by Mickey Cochrane). Fishman was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 2002 (as a basketball player).

Origin:
Michigan

Career Dates:
Fishman played at the University of Michigan from 1935-1938.

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