Jerry Fishman
| No. 31 | |
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| Position: | Middle linebacker, tailback |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | c. 1943 |
| Career information | |
| College: | Maryland |
| NFL Draft: | 1965 / Round: 14 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Jerry Fishman (born c. 1943) is an American former football player. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins of the University of Maryland and was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 1965 NFL Draft. Fishman gained notoriety when he twice gave an obscene gesture during the 1964 Maryland–Navy game, which directly resulted in a 40-year hiatus of the series.
Fishman attended Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Connecticut, where he played football and baseball. In 1960, he became the then second all-time single-game rusher in the state of Connecticut when he rushed for 342 yards against Danbury.
Fishman attended the University of Maryland where he played football primarily as a linebacker. He also served as a tailback, and in 1963 was the team's leading rusher with 480 yards on 116 carries. In 1964, he was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) first team as a guard.
Fishman gained notoriety and is most known for his actions in the 1964 game against the Naval Academy, an intense in-state rival. Rough play marked the game, and Fishman responded on two occasions with an extended middle-finger to taunts from the stands, some of which Maryland receiver Darryl Hill described as anti-Semitic. Afterward, with respect to his rough play, Navy head coach Wayne Hardin called Fishman, "a disgrace to the game." Maryland head coach Tom Nugent conceded that Fishman may have been "a little wild-eyed," but added, "I can't chastise him publicly. I didn't see him do anything deliberate." Navy officials cited Fishman's use of the middle finger as the main reason for their refusal to renew the series for 40 years. Several times, University of Maryland officials asked Fishman to apologize for the gesture, but he refused and said, "What for? It's a game. It's a silly game. It's football, it's not a diplomatic blunder."
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