He attended Princeton University, where his outstanding play at offensive guard earned him the title Samson of Princeton, before going on to play professionally with the Allegheny Athletic Association in 1891 and the Greensburg Athletic Association in 1893.

His brothers Ross and Newell also played for Pittsburgh-area athletic clubs and were highly regarded as players.

Fiscus quickly took the job, making Greensburg the third football team in three years to hire professionals.

Several accounts of the incident describe Fiscus kicking the Jeannette player in the face.

Finally, either Jeannette or Greensburg stormed off the field in protest, and the game was declared a scoreless draw.

sports historians were convinced that pro football had begun in 1895 when the Latrobe Athletic Association offered to pay John Brallier $10 to play against Jeannette.

However just before his death in 1949, Fiscus announced he was paid $20 by Greensburg a year earlier and believed himself to have been the first pro football player.

[4] However, after looking at the list of the first several professional football players, Fiscus seemed to be unaware that some of his Allegheny Athletic Association teammates in 1893 had been salaried.