American football player (1941?2024)
American football player
Charles Andrew Russell
(October 29, 1941 ? March 1, 2024) was an American professional
football
player who spent his entire 12-year career as a
linebacker
for the
Pittsburgh Steelers
of the
National Football League
(NFL).
Early life
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Russell was born in
Detroit, Michigan
to a family that relocated multiple times in his childhood (to Chicago and New York) due to his father's work as an executive with the
Monsanto
chemical company, with the family eventually settling in Ladue, a suburb of
St. Louis
. He attended
Ladue High School
and graduated in 1959 to the interest of colleges that wanted to recruit a player nicknamed “The Horse” for his power as a stiff-armed tackler.
[1]
Heavily recruited by out-state universities, he selected the
University of Missouri
under Coach
Dan Devine
and played both linebacker and fullback. In his three seasons (1960-1962) with the team, they lost just four times (with
one loss later vacated
) while Russell led the team in rushing (1961) and interceptions (1962). In addition to his football talents, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in
economics
in 1963.
[2]
Playing career
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His father did not wish for him to play professional football, and Russell put a "no" on every questionnaire mailed to him by prospective NFL teams. However, the one team that did not send him a letter was the one who drafted him in the
Pittsburgh Steelers
.
[3]
However, he elected to sign for a $12,000 salary and a $3,000 signing bonus. After playing for the Steelers his rookie season in
1963
, Russell temporarily left the team for the
Army
to fulfill
ROTC
commitments that had him stationed in Germany.
[4]
He then returned to the Steelers in 1966, having convinced his father that it would be best for him to play football to pay for further studies in economics for a master's degree. Russell would play the next eleven seasons and graduate with an economics master's degree in 1967 (the following year, he formed his own company involving investment vehicle syndicates).
Russell was an early member of Pittsburgh's famed
Steel Curtain
defense and was named the Steelers'
MVP
in 1971. He made seven
Pro Bowl
appearances?in 1969 and from 1971 through 1976?and earned two
Super Bowl rings
in
Super Bowl IX
and
Super Bowl X
. On December 27, 1975, he set the NFL playoff record for a returned touchdown?93 yards in a
Three Rivers Stadium
victory over the
Baltimore Colts
. Some have claimed it as the longest football play from scrimmage in time duration.
[5]
In 1976, he was inducted into the
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
and to the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2011, the
Professional Football Researchers Association
named Russell to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2011.
[6]
[7]
Personal life
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After his playing days ended, Russell maintained his interest in business and investing to go along with mountain climbing and philanthropy.
[8]
Russell died on March 1, 2024, at the age of 82.
[9]
References
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External links
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Previously named the Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award, after Byron "Whizzer" White, the award was renamed in the fall of 2018 in honor of Alan Page.
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Defense:
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Specialists:
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Offense
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Defense
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Special Teams
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