Don Fischer isn’t ready for retirement yet. The 78-year-old voice of the Indiana University Hoosiers is still going strong. He started this gig in 1973 and continues to do radio play-by-play broadcasts for men’s basketball and football. Fischer is best known for basketball, as he was on the call for three national championships under Bob Knight.

Much has changed since. Indiana has had four coaches since Knight’s 29-year run ended in 2000. The latest one is Darian DeVries, who was hired last month. We caught up with Fischer to talk about Indiana basketball, football, and his career.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: What are your initial thoughts on Darian DeVries?

Don Fischer: “I think he’s going to do a great job. At his press conference, I listened intently because I wanted to hear what he said (in comparison to) what I heard (football coach Curt) Cignetti say when he first came here. So much was similar to what Cignetti said: getting character players and understanding that there’s going to be a culture change. The culture is going to be different than what Indiana’s experienced previously. Honestly, that aspect of it thrilled me with DeVries talking about how he was going to build this program. I’m as excited now about Indiana football and basketball as I ever have been.”

What will be his biggest challenge?

“The roster is the first thing because he’s got to build it. Right now, I think he’s got four players in it in total. One is his son (Tucker DeVries) who’s a transfer from West Virginia. I think he’s a very talented player. He’s got two other kids out of the portal. Conor Enright, who played for him at Drake for two years, and Reed Bailey from Davidson. He’s got a lot of work to (do). I don’t think he’s got his full staff. He’s working his tail off to get this thing off the ground.”

How have fans reacted to the new coach?

“Most people are pretty excited about what this guy brings to the table. He’s had tremendous success in the seven years he’s been a head coach, six at Drake and one at West Virginia. He had great mentors in Greg McDermott and Dana Altman, who were the coaches at Creighton when he was there. So, this guy’s been through the mill in regard to having good people mentor him. And I think he developed a culture out of that belief of how to go about constructing a roster and those kinds of things. I think the guy’s going to be very successful here.”

Since Kelvin Sampson resigned in 2008 due to NCAA infractions, Indiana is on its fourth coach while Houston has been to two Final Fours. How do fans feel about him?

“If anybody doesn’t regret that things didn’t work out with Kelvin Sampson, then I don’t think they know much about basketball. Sampson has been phenomenally successful ever since he got back into the college game. Of course, the NCAA, after he was let go, changed the rules, the rules that he broke. So, how serious were those rules?  I’ve been around Kelvin a couple of times since he left Indiana. I like the man. I think he’s a great basketball coach. I don’t think there’s any question about that. He gets a different breed of kid that comes to his schools. He is able to control those guys and do a tremendous job of building their character and teaching them the culture that he has built.

“A lot of people still don’t like the fact that Kelvin put Indiana in a situation where they were on probation for a time. There are a lot of people that still have ill feelings toward him. I do not.”

Turning to football, how does Curt Cignetti keep the momentum going?

“He fights complacency like you can’t believe. He has always believed less is more. His practices are about an hour and 50 minutes, but they just go like crazy for that hour and 50 minutes, and then they’re done. Get in, do your job, and get out. It’s working. His formula has worked every place he’s been. He’s never had a losing season. This guy is phenomenal at what he does.”

What will you be paying attention to at the spring game on April 17?

“Everybody’s going to be watching to see what Fernando Mendoza brings to the table because he did have a really good year at California last year. He had a bad offensive line in front of him. He was hit a lot, but he’s got a better offensive line in front of him here at Indiana. I think maybe Indiana’s got one of its better offensive lines that they’ve had over the last 15 years or so. Everybody knows that if you’re going to be any good in football, you’ve got to be good on both lines of scrimmage.”

What’s the secret to your longevity?

“Good genes, that’d be the first thing. My grandparents were 91 and 98 when they passed. My mom will turn 99 at the end of May. I’ve pretty much kept myself in shape throughout most of my life. I was a frustrated athlete growing up. I wanted to be good but was just pretty average at best. My stepfather was the man who got me involved in playing baseball and other sports.”

How did you get into doing radio?

“I always wanted to do play-by-play. I grew up listening to guys like Harry Caray and Gene Elston. I listened to Bob Prince because I was a big Pittsburgh Pirate fan. I saw Roberto Clemente play as a rookie. I got into this business because I loved listening to play-by-play announcers and thought I could do that….

“I was lucky enough to get opportunities in the right timeframes. I became the voice of IU in 1973, and I’ve never looked back.”

Have you thought about retirement?

“One of the reasons I haven’t retired is because I’ve been able to maintain my physical condition well enough. I’ve had no serious illnesses. At my age, I’ve been very fortunate in that regard. I have a twin brother who was a Lutheran pastor for 47 years. He retired when he was 70. I’ve gone for eight more years since then. It’s not a drain on me. I still feel very good about the things I do to stay ready to do a game.”

What do you do in the offseason?

“I play golf. This weather stinks right now because I haven’t had a chance to play much golf this spring. I’ve probably played maybe three times here since the season ended. I went to Florida with my wife to play. Golf is my passion, my hobby. I never was a great player, but at least I had a handicap in the single digits for many years. It’s back in single digits again now, but barely.”