Inductees

Andy Russell and history are synonymous. The Ladue High School graduate went on to star for the University of Missouri Tigers and later emerged as a key with the Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” defense in his 12 seasons in Pittsburgh. He never missed a game – in high school, college, military or the NFL.

“I never missed a game my entire football career: high school, college, Army or pro,” Russell once said. “It is obviously a lot of luck to avoid all those injuries. I played hurt a lot with broken fingers and thumbs and things like that. But you played. In those days, the badge of honor was to play hurt. That is not so anymore.”

Russell was a two-way star for Mizzou coach Dan Devine and lettered from 1960 to 1962, when the Tigers were 25-3-3. He played in three bowl games, including the 1961 Orange Bowl in which he intercepted two passes in a win against Navy. He also led the Tigers in rushing that season and returned a pass interception 47 yards for a TD in a 10-0 victory against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Russell captained the Steelers for 10 years, a team record, and was a seven-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection.

In fact, he is the only linebacker to play in six consecutive Pro Bowls (1971-1976). He also was chosen by the NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee to the NFL All-Pro Team of the 1970s, and the Steelers named him to their 75^th anniversary All-Time Team in 2007.

Lambert, Ham and Russell are considered the best linebacking unit in history, with Lambert and Ham inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

However, Russell’s career almost never happened.

After his rookie season, Russell walked away from football and served two years in the military.

“My father did not want me to play professional football because it would ‘embarrass’ the family to play a game for a living. You have to be a worker,” Russell once said.

Russell served an Army lieutenant in Germany in 1964 and 1965 and played on the military football team there. When he returned, he carved quite a swath through the NFL as a fearless linebacker.

He started all 14 games in 1966 and two years later earned his first Pro Bowl selection. Those were part of Pittsburgh’s challenging years, but Russell was among the group that spear-headed a turnaround.

The Steelers were 53-16 between 1972 and 1976 and won Super Bowls in the 1974 and 1975 seasons. They were one win shy of reaching the Super Bowl in his final year, 1976. Russell was named the team’s Defensive MVP in 1968 and 1970 and team MVP in 1971.

Of course, back in those days, player contracts weren’t the riches known in today’s game.

Russell recognized it immediately in his early years in the NFL. He earned an MBA from Mizzou after he returned from the military and eventually Russell opened his own investment firm tied to Wall Street in 1969. He later opened and sold another investment bank.

These days, Russell is active in numerous charitable organizations in the Pittsburgh area. He created the Andy Russell Charitable Foundation in 1999, and his annual golf tournament also has raised millions for a local Children’s Hospital.

Over the years, he has won numerous awards for his charitable work, including being named Man of the Year both by the Mel Blount Youth Home and Big Brothers and Big Sisters.