Harvey Nual "Rusty" Russell (December 4, 1895 – December 21, 1983) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
coach at the high school, junior college, and college level in the state of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. He served as the head football coach at
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, prov ...
(SMU) from 1950 to 1952 and
Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University is a private Baptist university in Brownwood, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Howard Payne College was founded by Reverend Noah T. Byers and Dr. John David Robnett in 1889. The institu ...
from 1962 to 1963, compiling career
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 ...
coaching record of 17–30–3. Russell was also head football coach at an orphanage in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, the
Masonic Home and School, from 1929 to 1941. He co-authored the
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...
(AFCA) Code of Ethics in 1952 along with fellow coaches
William D. Murray,
Lloyd Jordan
Lloyd P. Jordan (December 14, 1900 – February 24, 1990) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Amherst College from 1932 to 1949 and at Harva ...
, and
Bud Wilkinson. He is known for developing the
spread offense
:''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.''
The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizontall ...
.
Playing career
Russell attended
Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University is a private Baptist university in Brownwood, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Howard Payne College was founded by Reverend Noah T. Byers and Dr. John David Robnett in 1889. The institu ...
in
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,862 at th2020 census Brownwood is located in the Northern Texas Hill Country and is home to Howard Payne University that was founded in 1889.
...
, where he was a three-sport letterman, in track, basketball, and football, and was captain of both the basketball and football teams. In football he was named all-
Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) was a college sports association that operated from 1909 to 1932. All of its members were located in the US state of Texas.
History
Founded in 1909 by Southwestern University, Austin College, ...
(TIAA) at
End
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
** End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
**End (gridiron footbal ...
.
Coaching career
Russell started his coaching career at the
high school level. In 1922 he was the head coach at
Granger High School for one year (7-3 record). In 1923 he became the assistant head coach at
Temple High School, then head coach in 1925 and 1926, where he took them to the state semifinals in 1926 (1925–26; 20–3 record).
In 1929 he was hired to start a football program at
Fort Worth Masonic Home, where he remained until 1942. While he was there, the team had an overall record of 127–30–12 (81% win percentage). The Masonic Home was an orphanage with a total high school enrollment of about 160 boys and girls. They eventually played in the top class at the time, the "A" leagues in Texas, with schools who had thousands of students. In his 16 years at Masonic Home, he went to the State playoffs 10 times. Building a football program from scratch, Russell guided the Masonic Home's 'Mighty Mites' to a tie versus
Corsicana High School
Corsicana Independent School District is a public school district based in Corsicana, Texas, United States.
In addition to Corsicana, the district serves the central Navarro County towns of Angus, Mustang, Oak Valley, Retreat, and Richland. ...
in the 1932 state championship game. Russell's 1941 team was undefeated but he withdrew from the playoffs following his first postseason win after finding he had an ineligible player who was a year older than the family had listed.
In 1942, Russell was hired to coach at
Highland Park High School in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
. During his first year at Highland Park, Russell remained a coach at Masonic Home, which was 35 miles away. He arranged to coach at the two schools on alternate days and had the games arranged on Fridays and Saturdays so they would not conflict. Masonic Home was a coin toss away from playing Highland Park in the 1942 playoffs. Russell remained at Highland Park until 1944; he had an overall record there of 27–4. He guided a squad that featured
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit ...
and
Doak Walker
Ewell Doak Walker II (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. Walker then played professio ...
to an appearance in the 1944 state championship game.
In 1944, he was hired as backfield coach at
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, prov ...
. He lured away Doak Walker from the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
to enroll at SMU instead. As head assistant coach and responsible for the offense, Russell enjoyed a 32 win 16 loss and 5 tie record, where the Mustangs were nationally ranked, won two Southwest Conference championships, and made two Cotton Bowl appearances in 1947 and 1948. Following
Matty Bell
William Madison "Matty" Bell (February 22, 1899 – June 30, 1983) was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. He played for Centre, captain of its 1918 team. He served as the head footbal ...
's resignation on January 22, 1950, Russell was immediately named his successor. After a good start with a 6–4 season in 1950 where SMU was rated #1 in the nation midway through the season, Russell was increasingly under fire after two losing seasons in 1951 and 1952. He eventually resigned on February 2, 1953. Russell then coached one year at Schreiner College, 1953 (5–3–1). He then went on to
Victoria College as head coach and athletic director from 1954 through the 1960 seasons, where his record was (40–27–2). He then retired from coaching.
In 1962, he came out of retirement to be the head coach at his alma mater, Howard Payne University. He again retired after two losing seasons. His record as a high school head coach over 23 seasons, was 181 wins, 40 losses, and 14 ties (82% win %), His overall record as a head coach in 23 years as high school and 13 years as college head coach is 250-100-21 (71% win percentage). He was an assistant coach for 5 years in College at SMU and 2 years in high school at Temple, Texas, for a total career of 42 years. He held a master's degree in education and was a teacher and principal many of his high school coaching years. Russell coached a number of All-Americans while at SMU, among them Doak Walker,
Dick McKissack
James Richard McKissack (February 10, 1926 – August 28, 1982) was a professional American football player and later a politician. Born in San Antonio, Texas, McKissack played college football for Southern Methodist University. He was draf ...
,
Kyle Rote
William Kyle Rote, Sr. (October 27, 1928 – August 15, 2002) was an American football player, a running back and receiver for eleven years in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants. He was an All-American running back at S ...
, Dick Hightower and
Val Joe Walker
Val Joe Walker (January 7, 1930 –December 25, 2013) was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the New York Giants and would later play four seasons with the G ...
. Doak Walker also asked Russell to make his introduction as he received the 1948
Heisman trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
award. In addition, Walker won the
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
in 1947. Russell also had two All-Americans at Victoria (Charlie Burk and Floyd Dellinger). Russell coached a number of
NFL players, among them: Kyle Rote, Doak Walker,
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit ...
, Dewitt Coulter,
Hardy Brown
Hardy Brown (May 8, 1924 – November 8, 1991) was an American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), All-America Football Conference (AAFC), and the American Football League (AFL). He played college football at the Univer ...
,
Herschel Forester
Herschel Vincent Forester (April 14, 1931 – December 31, 2018) was a professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He played four seasons for the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a profes ...
,
Bill Forester
George William Forester (August 9, 1932 – April 27, 2007) was a professional American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played 11 seasons for the Green Bay Packers ( 1953– 1963) and was selected to four Pro Bowls. He wa ...
,
Paul Page
Paul Page (born November 25, 1945) is an American motorsports broadcaster who is best known for serving as the play-by-play commentator for the Indianapolis 500 for a total of 27 years across radio and television. Page was the radio ''Voice of th ...
,
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assist ...
,
Fred Benners
Frederick Hagaman Benners (June 22, 1930 – January 6, 2023) was an American football player. He played the 1952 NFL season for the New York Giants. Benners also played at Southern Methodist University and is considered one of the greatest Mustan ...
, Pat Knight,
Ed Bernet
Edward Nelson Bernet (born October 24, 1933) is a former American football wide receiver and a country singer. He played college football at Southern Methodist University, and played professionally for the National Football League (NFL)'s Pitt ...
and Forrest Gregg.
Using a complex passing attack, unheard of at the time, Russell is considered one of the forerunners of the
spread offense
:''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.''
The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizontall ...
.
Honors
Russell was inducted to the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He is member of the Sports Hall of Fame at Howard Payne University, the Texas High School Coaches Hall of Honor, and the
Texas Sports Hall of Fame
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction (baseball ...
. He won NCAA National Coach of the week when at SMU, once in 1950 and again in 1951 for his respective wins over
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
and
Notre Dame. Russell was also a charter member of the National Football Hall of Fame Association.
Death
Russell died in a hospital in
Plano, Texas
Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Hist ...
on December 21, 1983, at the age of 88.
In popular culture
The story of the Mighty Mites and their rise from a team of rag-tag orphans to a Texas football powerhouse was the subject of the 2008 book ''Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football'' by sportswriter
Jim Dent
James Lacey Dent (born May 9, 1939) is an American professional golfer.
Dent was born in the golf mecca of Augusta, Georgia, home of the Masters Tournament, though as an African American he wouldn't have been allowed onto the Augusta National c ...
.
''WFAA:'' New book honors North Texas underdog team of the Depression
/ref> Jim Dent refers to Russell in the book as "the father of the spread offense". That book was adapted as the 2021 film ''12 Mighty Orphans
''12 Mighty Orphans'' is a 2021 American sports film which was directed by Ty Roberts from a screenplay by Roberts, Lane Garrison and Kevin Meyer. It is based upon the non fiction book ''Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Migh ...
'', in which Russell was portrayed by Luke Wilson
Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), ''My Dog Skip'' (2000), ''Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001), ''Id ...
.
Head coaching record
College
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Rusty
1895 births
1983 deaths
American football ends
Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football coaches
Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football players
Howard Payne Yellow Jackets men's basketball players
Schreiner Mountaineers football coaches
SMU Mustangs football coaches
College men's track and field athletes in the United States
High school football coaches in Texas
Junior college football coaches in the United States
People from Mason County, Texas
Players of American football from Texas
Basketball players from Texas
Track and field athletes from Texas