Charles Fisher walked into Adelphia Coliseum on Sept. 12, 1999, with his entire NFL life ahead of him.
A second-rounder of the Cincinnati Bengals that April, Fisher won the starting cornerback job — the last Opening Day rookie starter for legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau for the next 15 NFL seasons. Considering Fisher hadn’t even started the opener as a senior for West Virginia one year earlier, it was a stunning rise.
Across the field was Fisher’s college teammate and roommate and one of his best friends, John Thornton, with whom Fisher later would go into business.