The prestigious 14th annual Terry Tallen Indiana Football Leadership Scholarship has been awarded to Indiana University All American senior Aidan Fisher, a middle linebacker on the IU football team.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill, Jan. 20, 2025/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The prestigious 14th annual Terry Tallen Indiana Football Leadership Scholarship has been awarded to Indiana University senior Aidan Fisher, a middle linebacker on the IU football team. Fisher is a student-athlete enrolled in Sports Marketing and Finance; his 2024 Hoosier’s honors include: First Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, First Team All-Big Ten, Butkus Award Semi-Finalist, Capital One Orange Bowl and FWAA Courage Award Nominee. He is IU’s leader in tackles. While Fisher is draft eligible, he returns to help lead the Hoosiers forward in 2025.
IU alumni Terry Tallen created and funded the scholarship which is awarded annually to a starting football team player who has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills on the field as well as in the classroom and community. Tallen was a star defensive player for Coach Lee Corso, a three-year football letterman, middle linebacker, and Hoosier’s co-captain in 1979 and 1980 when the 15th nationally ranked Hoosiers won the 1979 Holiday Bowl, IU’s first bowl victory. In addition to the scholarship, the highly respected real estate developer, investor and leader in athletics, commerce and philanthropy committed $2 million, the largest gift ever provided to IU by a former football player, to the IU Bicentennial Campaign for Athletics to fund the renovation of the new state-of-the-art football team area in Memorial Stadium. The Terry Tallen Indiana Football Complex opened in 2019 and is considered one of the United States’ finest Division-1 major college football facilities.
“I’m so pleased that under IU Athletic Director Scott Dolson’s exceptional leadership the scholarship was awarded Aidan,” said Tallen. “He’s an excellent football player, a big advocate of teamwork and thoughtful, smart young man. He has a great heart and is a tough customer! I know he’s going to go a long way in this world, and along with Curt Cignetti’s outstanding coaching staff and ‘s family, I’m delighted to be one of many supporting his incredible journey.”
The purpose of the Terry Tallen Football Leadership Scholarship is to be inspirational as well as aspirational to other student athletes regardless of sport or gender, not only to give something back to IU but also to motivate others to pay it forward to future generations of IU student-athletes.
Created in 2008, the scholarship is awarded to deserving team members and has been given to five Hoosiers who are currently playing in the National Football League: All-American Dan Feeney, offensive guard, New York Jets; Wes Martin, offensive guard, Washington Football Team; Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, wide receiver, Tennessee Titans; Micah McFadden, left back, New York Giants; Cam Jones, linebacker for the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Former linebacker, three-time team captain and scholarship recipient, Marcus Oliver is currently learning the commercial real estate industry with Tallen Capital Partners.
Fisher started his college football career at IU, transferred to James Madison University, but returned to be a Hoosier in late 2024.
“I am absolutely honored and blessed to be a recipient of this award and extremely grateful to now be a part of such an elite brotherhood,” said Fisher. “Receiving this award as a newcomer this year makes it even more special to me and I’m incredibly excited to continue to display the qualities worthy of honor this award.”
Fisher is a graduate of Riverbend High School, Fredericksburg, VA where he played linebacker for head coach Nathan Yates. He was first team All-Region 5A at linebacker as a junior and a senior and second team at running back as a senior. He was named Commonwealth District Defensive Player of the Year in his final season, among many other accomplishments during his high school football career.