Andy Russell, a former standout football player for Missouri who later joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, the winners of the Super Bowl, and became an All-Pro, passed away.
Pittsburgh media reports state that Russell passed away on Thursday. He was eighty-two.
Russell attended Ladue, Missouri, for his high school education and decided against attending Ivy League schools to play for Dan Devine at Missouri. For the Tigers, Russell played fullback and linebacker. In 1961, he led Mizzou in rushing and scored a touchdown in a 10-0 win over Oklahoma State after recovering an interception.
In 1962, Russell led the Tigers with six interceptions, and his three Missouri teams (1960–1962) finished 26-3–3.
After being chosen by Pittsburgh in the 16th round of the 1963 NFL Draft, Russell rose to prominence as the only player to play for both the struggling Steelers of the late 1960s and the champion Super Bowl team of the 1970s, which was led by the defense known as the “Steel Curtain.”
After serving two years in the Army, Russell returned to the field for eleven more seasons, starting thirteen games in his first campaign. Along with teammates Steelers linebackers Jack Lambert and Jack Ham, he was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times and was included on the Pro Football Writers of America’s first team of All-Pros in 1975. Russell was a dedicated Steelers fan.
