Former NFL linebacker Andy Russell, who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers transition from a struggling franchise to championship contenders, has died, the team confirmed Saturday. He was 82 years old.
The cause of Russell's death was not immediately known.
Russell won two Super Bowls during his historic career with the Steelers. He was selected in the 16th round of the 1963 draft and played in the NFL for 12 years. He but he paused his football career for two years after his rookie season to fulfill his required military commitment as a member of the ROTC.
Russell was named to seven Pro Bowl teams and spent ten years as team captain.
“Andy was part of the founding of the great Steelers teams of the 1970s,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “He was one of the few players that Coach Chuck Noll kept on the team after becoming our head coach in 1969. Andy was the team captain and his leadership was a critical part of Coach Noll's development of the Steelers of the 1970s, which paved the way to four Super Bowl championships.”
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Andy Russell (34) of the Pittsburgh Steelers is shown in 1975. The Steelers announced on Saturday, March 2, 2024 that Russell, a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl winner during his 12-year career, died at age 82. . . (AP Photo, file)
Russell's greatness was on full display during the 1975 postseason, when he set a playoff record for longest fumble return. During a game against the Baltimore Colts, Russell picked up the ball and ran 93 yards for a score.
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Sam Hubbard broke Russell's earlier this year when he made a 98-yard return in a playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
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Russell, a two-way star during his college career at Missouri, was discouraged from playing in the NFL by his father, who told him it would be a “disgrace to the Russell family” if Andy went to the NFL.
FILE – Steelers linebacker Andy Russell takes a break on the bench during fourth-quarter action with the Baltimore Colts in Pittsburgh, Dec. 27, 1975. The Steelers announced Saturday, March 2, 2024, that Russell, seven-time Pro Bowler and two- The former Super Bowl champion during his 12-year career, died at age 82. (AP Photo, file)
Russell followed his father's orders. When NFL teams sent him a questionnaire that included a question about whether he wanted to play professional football, Russell checked the box marked “No.”
The only team that didn't mail him a survey was the Steelers, who took Russell with the 220th pick and then offered him a $12,000 contract and a $3,000 signing bonus.
Russell's initial plan was to play for a season for money and then pursue an MBA. An injury to linebacker John Reger in the season opener against Philadelphia led to Russell entering the lineup to replace him, and he never left.
Former NFL player Andy Russell attends Party With A Purpose's Taste of The NFL 28th Anniversary Celebration at Cobb Galleria Center on February 2, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for Taste Of The NFL)
Russell finally accomplished his goal: He earned an MBA in finance in 1967 and launched a series of businesses, including an investment firm with ties to Wall Street, and founded an investment bank.
Russell retired after the Steelers lost to Oakland in the 1976 AFC championship game. He had two sacks in a blowout divisional round victory over Baltimore.
Charles Andrew “Andy” Russell was born on October 29, 1941 in Detroit. He was a standout at Ladue Horton Watkins High in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 1950s before earning three letters at Missouri from 1960 to 1962, playing running back and linebacker.
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Russell wrote three books about his career after his retirement and was an avid climber, reaching all 54 peaks in Colorado that reach a height of at least 14,000 feet. He remained active in the Pittsburgh community and launched the Andy Russell Charitable Foundation, which supported a variety of local charities throughout western Pennsylvania.
Russell, a member of the Steelers Hall of Honor's inaugural class of 2017, is survived by his wife, Cindy, two children and seven grandchildren.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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