Cazzie Russell
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Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is an American former professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player and coach. An
NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...
, he was selected by the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
with the first overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft. He won an
NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
with the Knicks in 1970.


College career

In 1962, while playing at
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
's Carver High School, Russell was named the
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
Boy's Player of the Year. Russell played
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. Along with Bill Buntin, Russell led the
Wolverines The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...
to three consecutive
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
titles (1964–66) and to Final Four appearances in
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
and
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
, losing in the final game 91-80 to defending national champion UCLA and John Wooden in 1965. In 1966, Russell averaged 30.8 points per game and was named the College Basketball Player of the Year.
Crisler Arena Crisler Center (formerly known as the University Events Building and Crisler Arena) is an indoor arena located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the home arena for the University of Michigan's men's and women's basketball teams as well as its women's ...
, which opened in 1967, has been dubbed ''The House that Cazzie Built''. Russell was also initiated into
Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...
fraternity - Sigma Chapter in 1964.


Professional career

Russell was drafted by the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
with the first overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft, playing for them for five seasons (1966–1971). While playing for the Knicks he was named to the 1967 All-Rookie Team and won the
NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
in
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
. In 1971, he was traded to the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
in exchange for
Jerry Lucas Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a p ...
and appeared in the 1972 NBA All-Star Game. In 1974, Russell signed with the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
when the Warriors did not offer him a no-cut contract. While with the Lakers he became the last player to wear the number 32 and 33 jerseys before
Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...
. In 1978, he signed with the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
, which would conclude his NBA career. In total, Russell spent 12 seasons in the NBA (1966–1978). During the 1978–79 season, Russell played for the Great Falls Sky of the
Western Basketball Association The Western Basketball Association was formed in 1978 and played for one season during 1978–79. Organized by Larry Cregar, a former assistant coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), and real ...
(WBA). He ended his career after the 1980–81 season when he played for the
Philadelphia Kings The Lancaster Red Roses were a professional basketball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. From 1946 to 1949 and from 1953 to 1955, they played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League, of which the Red Roses were one of the six original ...
of the
Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
.


Coaching career

In 1981, he became the head coach for the
Lancaster Lightning The Rockford Lightning was a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association. They were based in Rockford, Illinois. History The Lightning were the oldest team in the CBA, originally existing as the Lancaster Red Roses fro ...
of the CBA. He guided the team to the 1981–82 league championship. During the playoffs, with his team depleted by injuries, Russell came out of retirement and played for the Lightning in the final game of the league championship series, played in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...
. Russell was named the CBA Coach of the Year in 1982. Russell later coached the
Wyoming Wildcatters The Wyoming Wildcatters were a professional basketball team based in Casper, Wyoming. They played 6 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). They manag ...
,
Grand Rapids Hoops The Grand Rapids Hoops were a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their first season was in 1989 and their final season was in 2003. Professional basketball later returned to Grand ...
and
Columbus Horizon The Columbus Horizon is a defunct basketball team from Columbus, Ohio that played for five seasons in the Continental Basketball Association from 1989 to 1994. History Plans to bring professional basketball to Columbus were unveiled in Septembe ...
of the CBA and the Mid-Michigan Great Lakers in the
Global Basketball Association The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the United States. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the Southern United States, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The le ...
. He also served as assistant coach of the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
for two seasons (1988–1990). Russell was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the
Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...
for 13 seasons, until the college eliminated the sport in 2009. He still remains at the college in an administrative capacity. He served as an assistant coach at
Armstrong State University Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victoria Canada * Armstrong, British Columbia * Armstrong, O ...
until 2017 when it was discontinued. He spent several years as head coach at Centennial High School in Columbus, Ohio, during the mid-1990s before taking the job in Georgia. He is now the assistant coach of the Flagler College Saints women's basketball team.


Military service

During the 1960s, while with the Knicks, Russell was in the Fighting 69th Regiment of the
New York Army National Guard The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the United States Army's available combat forces and approximat ...
. He started in the army as a private. He participated in army service during the basketball season, including being recalled to active duty during national emergencies.Miller, Norm
"OK Knicks' Mike, Caz for Playoffs"
'' Daily News'', volume 51, number 235, New York, New York, March 26, 1970, page 23C.


Honors

In 2006, Russell was voted as one of the
100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) celebrated 100 years of the IHSA State Tournament in the 2006-07 season. A list of "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" was assembled on December 14, 2005. Throughout the state, 281 ind ...
, a group of former players and coaches in honor of the 100 anniversary of the IHSA boys basketball tournament. Russell received the Bobby Jones Award in 2015 at the Athletes in Action All Star Breakfast, which is held each year at the NBA All Star Weekend. In 2016 Russell was the recipient of the
Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award The Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award is presented annually to a member of the college or professional basketball community who lives out qualities exemplified by Coach Wooden: outstanding character, integrity, and leadership on the court, in the ...
at the Athletes in Action Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast, which is held each year at the Final Four.


NBA career statistics


Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 77 , , – , , 22.0 , , .436 , , – , , .785 , , 3.3 , , 2.4 , , – , , – , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 82 , , – , , 28.0 , , .462 , , – , , .808 , , 4.6 , , 2.4 , , – , , – , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 50 , , – , , 32.9 , , .450 , , – , , .796 , , 4.2 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 18.3 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 78 , , – , , 20.0 , , .498 , , – , , .775 , , 3.0 , , 1.7 , , – , , – , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 57 , , – , , 18.5 , , .429 , , – , , .773 , , 3.4 , , 1.4 , , – , , – , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 79 , , – , , 36.7 , , .455 , , – , , .833 , , 5.4 , , 3.1 , , – , , – , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 80 , , – , , 30.4 , , .458 , , – , , .864 , , 4.4 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , – , , 31.4 , , .482 , , – , , .835 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 40 , , – , , 26.4 , , .455 , , – , , .894 , , 2.9 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .1 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 74 , , – , , 22.0 , , .463 , , – , , .892 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .0 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 82 , , – , , 31.5 , , .490 , , – , , .858 , , 3.6 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, 36 , , – , , 21.9 , , .438 , , – , , .860 , , 2.3 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .1 , , 8.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 817 , , – , , 27.2 , , .464 , , – , , .827 , , 3.8 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .1 , , 15.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .308 , , – , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , – , , – , , 10.0


Playoffs

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1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 4 , , – , , 22.3 , , .394 , , – , , .769 , , 4.8 , , 2.8 , , – , , – , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 6 , , – , , 34.8 , , .561 , , – , , .833 , , 3.8 , , 1.7 , , – , , – , , 21.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 5 , , – , , 7.2 , , .238 , , – , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , – , , – , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
† , style="text-align:left;”,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 19 , , – , , 16.1 , , .485 , , – , , .947 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , – , , – , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 11 , , – , , 10.9 , , .391 , , – , , 1.000 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , – , , – , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 5 , , – , , 32.2 , , .492 , , – , , .750 , , 4.4 , , 1.8 , , – , , – , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 11 , , – , , 23.9 , , .490 , , – , , .864 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , – , , – , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, 11 , , – , , 34.7 , , .414 , , – , , .880 , , 4.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 15.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 72 , , – , , 21.8 , , .460 , , – , , .870 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 11.8


See also

*
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Cazzie 1944 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American military sports players Basketball coaches from Illinois Chicago Bulls players Continental Basketball Association coaches Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Lakers players Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association broadcasters National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players New York National Guard personnel Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia Kings players Shooting guards Small forwards United States Army soldiers Western Basketball Association players Basketball players from Chicago 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople