Jeffrey Cameron Russel (1900-1926) was a star

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

player remembered as a star with the

Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers The Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers were a Canadian football team and a member of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, a league that preceded the Canadian Football League. The team existed from 1872 to 1935. The Montreal AAA sponsored the Montre ...

and his early accidental death.

Life and career

Russel was born October 27, 1900, in

Ouray, Colorado Ouray () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 1,000 as of the 2010 census. The Ouray Post Office has the ZIP Code 81427. Located at an elevation of , Ouray's clim ...

, where his father, a graduate of

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

mining engineering Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

, was managing a mine. The family returned to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

in 1909 where Jeff was attended

Selwyn House School Selwyn House School (SHS) is an English-language independent K-11 boys' school located in Westmount, Quebec. The school was founded in 1908 by Englishman Captain Algernon Lucas and was named in honour of Selwyn College at the University of Cam ...

and

Lower Canada College Lower Canada College (LCC) is an English-language elementary and secondary level independent school located in Montreal, Quebec. The school offers education from Kindergarten through Grade 11. Students graduate from Grade 11 and then have the optio ...

and participated in athletics. In 1917, he enrolled at the Royal Military College in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

and became a halfback for the RMC Redmen until graduating in 1920 with the

Governor General's Academic Medal The Governor General's Academic Medal is awarded to the student graduating with the highest grade point average from a Canadian high school, college or university program. They are presented by the educational institution on behalf of the Governor ...

. He played for

in Montreal from 1920 to 1922. Russel entered McGill to continue his studies in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

and was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. While at McGill he played for the football team coached by Frank "Shag" Shaughnessy. He graduated in 1922 and began working for the Montreal Light, Heat and Power Company. He also joined the

Montreal Amateur Athletic Association Montreal Amateur Athletic Association is Canada's oldest athletic association, located in Montreal, Quebec. It was renamed as the ''Club Sportif MAA'' or just ''MAA'' (Montreal MAA) in 1999 after a brush with bankruptcy, but is still widely known ...

’s football team, the Winged Wheelers, of the

Interprovincial Rugby Football Union The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues. T ...

and emerged as a star halfback, known for his speed and elusiveness. By 1925, he was the undisputed leader of the team and named captain. On the night of May 3, 1926, Montreal was struck by a violent thunderstorm and Russel was responsible for a crew from Montreal Light, Heat and Power repairing a downed power line when he was accidentally electrocuted.

Honours and awards

The

Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy The Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy is a Canadian football award recognizing the most outstanding football player of the Quebec Student Sport Federation (RESQ) The trophy was originally presented to the player who best exemplified skill, sportsmanshi ...

is presented annually, in his honour to the most outstanding player of the

Quebec University Football League The Quebec University Football League was the Canadian football conference for Quebec universities who participate in CIS football until the completion of the 2010 football season. It has since been renamed Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec foo ...

. At its origin in 1928, the trophy was awarded to the

player possessing courage, fair play and sportsmanship but by 1973, it recognised the most outstanding player in the

Canadian Football League East Division The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues. T ...

. In 1994, the trophy was retired at the request of the Russel family. In 2003, it was re-established for recognising players in the Quebec conference of

CIS football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confer ...

. On June 19, 1963, Russel was elected as a player to the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

and in 1975, inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

as an athlete. At

the Russel house is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russel, Jeff 1900 births 1926 deaths Players of Canadian football from Quebec Sportspeople from Montreal Royal Military College of Canada alumni McGill Redbirds football players Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Ouray, Colorado Accidental deaths in Quebec Accidental deaths by electrocution