Andy Russell, the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has died.
Russell, a 16th-round draft pick who played 12 seasons with the Steelers, was 82 years old.
A source confirmed Russell's death to TribLive. A cause of death was initially not known. News partner WTAE reported that Russell died Thursday evening.
One of the few players whose tenure bridged the then-struggling Steelers of the 1960s and the dynasty the franchise built under Chuck Noll in the '70s, Russell earned first-team AP NFL All Pro honors in 1975 and was three Member of the second team several times. All professional. He was a member of the Steelers' all-time team and part of the organization's inaugural Hall of Honor class.
Russell was born in Detroit and played college at Missouri. Despite his low draft stock, he immediately became a starter for the Steelers. After his rookie season in 1963, Russell fulfilled military obligations as part of his ROTC status in Missouri. He returned to the Steelers in 1966 and played until 1976, playing in Super Bowl victories following the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
According to pro-football-reference.com, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Russell had 19 interceptions, one interception for a touchdown, 11 fumble recoveries and (unofficially) 41 sacks over his career, including the postseason. He returned a 93-yard fumble for a touchdown, securing the Steelers' first playoff win of the 1975 season.
Russell was voted MVP of the Steelers team in 1971 and played 168 consecutive games for the team. This is the fourth longest streak in franchise history.
Hall of Fame Steelers linebacker Jack Ham wrote the following passage on Russell's page acknowledging his place in the Steelers' Hall of Honor: “Today, most players return to the Pro Bowl by being mediocre on good teams Play soccer. Andy played great football in a less than mediocre team. Why? Because Andy was always the absolute professional. His personal pride and drive for excellence allowed him to stand out even on the worst football teams. It would have been easy for him to give up or allow himself to be drawn into the mediocrity he saw all around him, but he refused to do so. This attitude was clear to me from the first day of training camp until Andy’s last game with the Steelers.”
Russell's charitable work was through his foundation, which hosted a celebrity golf tournament in Pittsburgh for many years. Funds were raised for the Children's Hospital Free Care Fund and other programs at UPMC, including the Children's Neurosurgery Project, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the Hillman Cancer Center and the Center for Sports Medicine. Russell was named Big Brothers and Sisters Man of the Year in 1989.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has primarily covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 after playing two seasons on the Penn State football team. A native of western Pennsylvania, he joined the Trib in 2012 after a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other media outlets. He can be reached at [email protected].