National Football Foundation

A lifelong resident of Nashville, Tenn., Russell was a sports writer prominent in the Golden Era of Sports in the 20^th century. Russell was a protégé and good friend of Grantland Rice, and the two both attended and graduated from Vanderbilt University. In 1929, Russell was hired for the police beat at the Nashville Banner, and a year later was promoted to sports editor. Russell was a member of the Banner staff until its closing in 1998, writing more than 12,000 columns. Russell gained national notoriety in the 1940s and 1950s for writing one of the most popular annual college football previews, the Pigskin Preview, for The Saturday Evening Post, one of the most popular magazines of that day.

He was the Honor's Court Chairman of the College Football Foundation and Hall of Fame for 29 years. Russell is a past President of the Football Writers Association of America. He was also a member of the Heisman Trophy Committee for 46 years and was the Southern chairman of the Heisman Trophy Committee for 30 years. Many members of the College Football Hall of Fame credit Russell with their election to the Hall. 

Russell was elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 1988 and into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. At the time, he was the only living sportswriter to receive the honor. He became a Charter Member of the Tennessee Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 2005. Russell received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 1981 from the American Football Coaches Association, the same year he was awarded the Bert McGrane Award from the Football Writers Association of America. Russell died in 2003 at the age of 97.