Memory Lane: Remembering Steve Russell
The Western Pennsylvania sports community was deeply saddened by the passing of longtime educator and sports historian Stephen Russell on Thursday morning at the age of 74.
Russell will be greatly missed. He was an invaluable resource and link to the past, serving as Chairman of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame.
Russell was born in 1949 and was the son of Jim Russell, a major league baseball player in the 1940s. His interest in sports started at an early age. Russell was a 1967 Rostraver High School graduate.
In 1970, Russell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education at California University of Pennsylvania, majoring in social studies. This was followed four years later by a Master of Arts degree from Duquesne University, majoring in 20th century United States history. In 1975, he received his principal’s certification from Duquesne and in 1979 his superintendent’s letter of eligibility from West Virginia University.
In 1970 Russell became a social studies teacher at Monongahela High School in the Ringgold School District from 1970 to 1976.
In 1976 he was appointed assistant high school principal at Belle Vernon Area School District.
Two years later, he was promoted to the position of principal of Bellmar Junior High School. He was principal there for 31 years.
In November 2008, Russell was named superintendent of Belle Vernon Area School District and served until his retirement in July of 2012.
When he retired, Russell commented on his long career as an educator.
“This is my 42nd year, so that’s an awful long time. Most people don’t serve that length,” he said after stepping down. “You just have a kind of a feeling that you know it’s time to let someone else come in and provide new leadership.
“It’s been a great pleasure and joy to serve both school districts. I have nothing but fond memories. I really didn’t look at my job as a job. It really was a hobby that I enjoyed doing, and could there be anything else more rewarding than working with the young people of the Mon Valley?”
In April 1997 Russell was named general chairman, acting as a liaison among the three groups of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. In November 1998 Russell, took up the task of creating an exhibit of sports memorabilia for the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. Russell immediately recognized the necessity of a biographical journal to document the history of all members of the Hall of Fame.
“I realized the lack of knowledge concerning these past sports heroes,” Russell emphasized. “What good is an exhibit if you don’t know what these individuals accomplished in their lives?”
Russell became the driving force behind the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame and helped start the Belle Vernon Football Hall of Fame.
When the news of Russell’s passing started to circulate the testimonials came pouring in.
From a personal standpoint, he was a friend, a colleague and a tremendous resource. When I was helping for the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame he supplied a lot of the materials that helped us get started. I will miss our conversations and his friendship and support.
“Two words that come to mind about Steve, historian and ambassador, and he was passionate in both of those roles,” former Belle Vernon football great Bill Contz stated. “We appreciated Steve Russell a lot more after after high school concluded in his involvement in the Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame. The things he added on social media blew me away in terms of what information the man had, it was a treasure trove of things about politics and John F. Kennedy for example. Mon Valley sports and who he knew and how much information he had and who took pictures with when he was affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was fascinating to see how well connected he was in the sports world. We will miss Steve Russell.”
“I always looked at Steve as someone who would not only challenge the students, but he also challenged the teachers to be better,” longtime friend Tom Trilli said of Russell. “Some people looked at it like he’s eccentric and different. Well he was. He wanted the best out of you and it wasn’t only in athletics, he wanted you to be your best and challenge yourself to do better and he did that, and that made people uncomfortable. Instead of status quo he wanted better for the school and also individually. It’s really a testament to his belief of being an educator.”
“He was a very close friend,” former Ringgold track and basketball standout Melvin Boyd said. “He was a teacher, a mentor and then a friend. I live in Arizona and he came down for probably 10 years in a row where I took a week off from work and we went to one ballpark after another at spring training, taking pictures and having a lot of good dinners. I’ve had three close friends in my life and they all died of cancer.
“You are not going to replace him. He would work tirelessly for the community. He gave of himself for everybody. For me he was a teacher, a mentor and a friend, like 360 degrees he touched all the bases.”
Russell was known far beyond the boundaries of his beloved Mon Valley. An educator, historian, sports enthusiast, and public speaker, his prolific topics as a public speaker have run the course of presidential expert to analyst on ESPN Sports Classic presentations and Turner Classic Movies. In 1986 Russell served as official curator of memorabilia for the Hofstra University Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Conference in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. In 2007, he was crucial in the planning of the Fiftieth Anniversary Festival of the film Raintree County in Danville, Kentucky.
In 1970 Russell was employed by one of his father’s former teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, as a ticket seller. He also worked game days in the ticket office for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and for Pitt Panthers football. He continued in all those positions up until this past year. During his retirement, Russell worked to organize his Americana collection mostly made of political, sports and Hollywood memorabilia.
Russell left an imprint on Western Pennsylvania sports.
“Something is lost anytime people like Steve Russell pass away,” Contz offered. “You hope someone carries that torch and I’m not sure who can do that. He was so well revered, I don’t know anyone that could say a disparaging word about Steve Russell.”