What are you reminded of when you hear the name Aiden Fisher? Yes, we are talking about Indiana Hoosiers’ linebacker. The warm, bright smile, right? That’s what Curt Cignetti’s star LB is known for beyond his gridiron talents. However, not many know what the young chap hides behind that smile. After all, the 20-year-old who is about to turn 21 in the next few days has seen the dark side that life has to offer. Like every other person, his father has been his biggest supporter. Sadly, he lost his dad. And when he thought that he still had his stepfather to lean on, life got even more brutal—as he too passed away. 

Back in October this year, Fisher was nominated for the 2024 Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. That’s because, at such a tender age, Cignetti’s linebacker has seen it all and yet led the Big Ten in tackles. When he was only 5 years old, his parents got divorced. Fisher then started to live with her mother and his two sisters. He lost his father, Christopher, in 2014 on his 11th birthday. Just when he was recovering from the loss, he lost his stepfather, Vinny, in 2017 to an aggressive terminal brain tumor. 

Right before his Indiana Hoosiers faced off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the playoffs, Aiden Fisher got some serious national attention. ‘College GameDay’ posted a series of his pics with the caption: “After the passing of both his father and stepfather, Aiden Fisher plays for the four family members who have persevered with him through their adversity.” It was a huge reminder of who he is and a real morale booster

However, the disease did not stop him from supporting Fisher. So, both his fathers helped the young chap to reach where he is today. As the Indiana linebacker once said, “You’re put in people’s lives for a reason, in my opinion. Not only me, but those men in my life. They taught me some things that I never thought I’d be able to learn from people.” So now you know where the rage in the gridiron comes from. 

This season, Fisher has shown how dependable he is. The young man led Cignetti’s program in tackles with 98, including a Big Ten-high 61 assisted tackles. Rarely caught out of position, he swarms ball carriers and receivers. Now you know, through his gridiron action, Fisher wants to make someone proud. As the linebacker said, “When I pay football, I’m honoring them. I wanna make sure that they know, the reason I keep going, the reason I’m successful, is because of them.” Now, do you know there lies an interesting story behind his jersey No. 4? 

The story behind Aiden Fisher’s No. 4 jersey

When things were really tough, his sisters and his mom had his back. The team of 4 has been through thick and thin. As we all know, before the Hoosiers, Fisher played for James Madison University, where he was elevated to a starter in the 2023 season. There he played for the No.11 jersey. Sadly, when he stepped into Indiana, that jersey number was already taken by somebody else. 

That’s when it struck him how he could swap his much-loved and lucky jersey number and instead don something that would also signify his big fight beyond football. So, he let go of his favorite number and thought of celebrating for those who remained. And he dropped a text for his mother about his decision to go for the new jersey number, No.4.

“We’ve been through a lot, but the one thing that’s remained constant is the four of us. So I think that it’s important to him to wear a number that represents his life most right now,” said Kyleigh, Aiden Fisher’s sister. With two fathers’ dreams behind him, Fisher aims to take down Notre Dame in a CFP classic.