There is no discussion about mulligans.

Not on this sunny afternoon at Trophy Lake Golf & Casting. And not when it comes to life.

Derek Strey, who turns 36 in October, acknowledges that his upbringing was less than ideal. But instead of ignoring it, Strey runs a maximum-security unit at Echo Glen Children’s Center, which is a juvenile detention center in Snoqualmie.

“It seems like it had a lot to do with working with kids — thinking that I could at least be a positive influence on kids,” said Strey, who returned to the West Sound for the annual Benji Olson/Ed Fisher Scholarships Golf Classic. “I think it’s why I don’t sit behind a desk.”

While he refers to his mother, Marilyn, as the cornerstone of his family, Strey said his father was mostly absentee. Strey, who now lives in Maple Valley with his wife, Melanie, and two children, said he is grateful that he played for Fisher.

“Coach and his staff took a genuine interest in me,” he said. “His presence is awe-inspiring.”

Fisher said Strey was an 11-year-old playing for South Kitsap Eastern Little League when they met.

“You could see that he was very talented and had a lot to offer,” he said. “But let’s say that discipline was not a strong suit.”

Fisher, who guided the Wolves to a 196-49 record from 1974-96, centered his program around discipline. He said he felt an obligation to develop his players into productive members of society through lessons on the gridiron.

For Strey, it frequently was a challenge.

“I had a number of office visits from Coach Fisher,” said Strey, adding that he frequently finds himself having similar conversations with youths. “I thank him every time I come back.”

But Strey never relented. Fisher recalls a game during his senior year when left tackle Benji Olson and right guard Tony Coats both slammed into Strey’s knee on a cross block. It happened on Sept. 25 at Stadium — the third week of the season — and Strey missed the rest of the year with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

“He worked so hard and did such a fabulous job that if we made it to the championship, he would have been ready to play,” Fisher said.

But Strey was not finished with football. Along with teammate Kevin Peterson, he signed to play at Eastern Washington University, where he again experienced success. After playing as a true freshman tight end because of injuries in 1993, Strey redshirted the following year to transition to linebacker.

He returned in 1995 and had 126 tackles in ’96 and 128 in ’97. Both totals were fourth most in Eagles’ history at the time. Strey helped Eastern to a school-record 12 victories as a redshirt senior and the semifinals of the NCAA Division 1-AA playoffs.

Strey, who still ranks third in school history with 346 career tackles, was selected by the Eastern Athletic Department to the 100 for 100 All-Time Football Team, which was honored in 2008, to commemorate Eastern’s 100th year of football. Fisher and Peterson also were selected to the squad.

“It was pretty cool,” said Strey, adding that he might have ended up at a Pac-10 school such as Oregon State if he had not hurt his knee. “Coach Fisher is a big reason why I ended up at Eastern, because he was a big advocate for me.”

He also was a rare Eastern football player to advance to the NFL. Strey went to training camp with Jacksonville in 1998 and joined Seattle later that season as a practice-squad player. He spent the 1999 season with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europa as a starting linebacker before retiring.

“I didn’t want to be away from my family again,” Strey said. “It was a great time … but it was time to be done.”

Even after 23 years at South and the last 14 in the Spokane area, Fisher said Strey remains one of his most memorable athletes.

“He came from a situation that wasn’t optimal and did well,” he said. “Given the situation that he came from, he’s one of the great shining stars that South Kitsap’s ever produced.

“I could not be prouder of an individual than Derek.”