Born and raised in Atlanta, Crisler pitched at South Georgia Junior College in 1976 under Coach Clyde Miller, where he was named to the njcaa all State and All-Conference Teams during his freshman year

Angels in 1977. Crisler gradually moved up through the Angels organization as a starting pitcher, making stops along the way at Salinas, California (Class A), El Paso, Texas (Class AA), and Salt Lake City, Utah (Class AAA), before being placed on the Angels’ 40-man major league roster for the 1980 season. Along the way, Crisler pitched a no-hitter his first year in Quad Cities, won 17 games and was named to the California League All-Star Team while pitching in Salinas in 1978, and was the No. 1 starting pitcher for El Paso in 1979 before being promoted mid-year to Salt Lake City, where he was a starting pitcher for the eventual Pacific Coast League Champions that year. A shoulder injury in 1980 requiring rotator cuff surgery sidetracked Crisler’s advancement through the Angels’ farm system, and he later finished his professional career after shoulder surgery in the Seattle Mariners organization in 1982 and with the Sultanes de Monterrey in the Mexican League in 1983. Prior to his stint in pro ball, Crisler pitched for the Baltimore Johnnie’s baseball team which won the AAABA 19U National Championship in 1976 and following his pro career, he pitched for the Atlanta Yankees baseball team which won the Stan Musial Unlimited Amateur National Championship in 1989. During his professional career, Crisler spent one off-season serving as an assistant pitching coach at Georgia Tech under Coach Jim Morris and later served as an assistant pitching coach at Armstrong State College under Coach Joe Roberts during the mid-1990's.