Pittsburgh (AP) — The great linebacker Andy Russell, who played a crucial role in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ transformation from a team
that was always losing to one that was winning, passed away. He was eighty-two.
Russell’s passing was verified by the team on Saturday. The cause and location of the death were not immediately known.
Russell, who was selected in the 16th round of the 1963 NFL Draft, went on to win two Super Bowls in his 12-year NFL career, which
was halted by a two-year military deployment.
Russell captained the Steelers for ten years and was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times.
Russell was chosen by his teammates as the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1971—a season that featured Terry Bradshaw, Jack Ham,
Joe Greene, and Mel Blount—future Hall of Famers.
“When Coach Chuck Noll took over as our head coach in 1969, he was one of the few players he managed to retain on the squad. Andy
served as the team captain, and Coach Noll relied heavily on his leadership as the Steelers advanced to four Super Bowl
Championships in the 1970s.
Throughout the first part of his career, Russell and his No. 34 were equally potent and resilient, one of the few bright lights on a string
of Steelers teams that finished in the lower half of the league.
That was before Noll became head coach in 1969.
“You’re good folks, Noll remarked. You will behave well as citizens. Sadly, you’re not able to jump high enough or run quickly enough,
so I’m going to
But not Russell, who established himself as a pillar of a defense that brought the team four Super Bowl victories in the 1970s. Working
in silence, Russell created a résumé that his teammates believe should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Russell’s six-season teammate Ham stated, “It would have been easy for (Andy) to give up or be sucked into the mediocrity that he saw
all around him, but he refused to do so.” “I could see that mentality from the first day of training camp until Andy’s final Steelers
game.”
Russell finished the regular season with 38 sacks and 18 interceptions. During the 11 postseason games, two of which ended with the
During his time as a two-way standout at Missouri, Russell’s father dissuaded him from entering the NFL, telling him that it would be
a “display of shame to the Russell family” if Andy joined the league.
Russell did as his father told him. Russell selected the “no” box on a questionnaire that NFL teams sent him, asking if he wanted to
play professional football.
The Steelers, who selected the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Russell with the 220th overall pick and offered him a $12,000 contract and a
$3,000 signing bonus, were the only team that didn’t send him a survey.
Originally, Russell intended to play one season for financial gain and then go to business school. Linebacker John Reger sustained an
injury during the season
“You discuss luck,” Russell remarked. “I would have played for a year, obtained my MBA, and entered the corporate world if that
hadn’t happened. I recently had a huge break.
Following his rookie season, Russell took a hiatus and missed 1964 and 1965 in order to fulfill the military obligation expected of
ROTC members.
Russell’s outstanding play was frequently overshadowed by the Steelers’ dismal play when he returned, and the team was still deep in
the cellar after winning just 11 games overall over the following three seasons. He succeeded in achieving his objective, receiving an
MBA in finance in 1967 and beginning a number of ventures, including an investment bank and a Wall Street-affiliated enterprise.
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