Leonard James Russell (born November 17, 1969) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

for six seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member o ...

. Russell was selected by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in the first round of the

1991 NFL Draft The 1991 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991, at the Marriott Mar ...

with the 14th overall pick. He played from 1991 to 1996 for the Patriots,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

, and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Professional career

In 1991, Russell was selected as the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year after rushing for 959 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Patriots. In 1993, Bill Parcells

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...

took over as head coach, bringing a strong focus on running the football. Russell rushed for 1,088 yards and 7 TDs. Before the start of the 1994 season, following his best year with New England, he was released after the Patriots traded for

Marion Butts Marion Stevenson Butts, Jr. (born August 1, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, the New England Patriots and the H ...

, the leading rusher from the Chargers. Though not always utilized heavily in the passing game, Russell was an effective receiver for a power running back, catching 71.2% of targets during his career.

NFL career statistics

Post Football

Leonard is currently the Resident Manager of the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Perris, CA.

Personal life

Former

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

Chuckie Miller is his cousin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Leonard 1969 births Living people American football running backs Arizona State Sun Devils football players Denver Broncos players New England Patriots players San Diego Chargers players St. Louis Rams players National Football League Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winners Players of American football from Long Beach, California Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni