Serafin, Michaela C.

Stem185-Job
William Felton Russell “Bill Russell” was born on February 12, 1934 in Monroe,
Louisiana, a small agricultural community where his parents were subjected to the
constant indignities that were the lot of African Americans in the Deep South at the time.
In high school, his team won three state championships, but his unorthodox playing
style was not well understood by college scouts. The only school to offer him a basketball
scholarship was the University of San Francisco (USF). African American players were
still a rarity in college basketball, and the USF team, with Russell as captain, was the first
to feature three African Americans in a starting line-up. When Russell and the other black
players were denied hotel accommodations in Oklahoma City during the 1954 All-College
tournament, the white players on the team chose to stay with them in a vacant college
dormitory.
Among the most eventful years of Russell's life, 1956 was a year to remember. During
the course of that single year Russell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, joined the elite society
of Olympic gold medalists, married his girlfriend, and signed a contract with the National
Basketball Association (NBA). Early in that year Russell reduced his academic load, in
anticipation of the upcoming summer Olympics. He later refused an offer from Abe
Saperstein, owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, to play professionally with the team. Russell
feared it would jeopardize his eligibility for the U.S. Olympic basketball team. To Russell's
gratification he was given a spot on the Olympic team and won a gold medal at the games in
Melbourne, Australia.
During his dynamic career Russell left his mark as the greatest defensive player in the
history of the NBA. He was a true team player; a highly effective re-bounder and a leviathan
jumper. Prior to Russell, it was unheard of in the NBA for a player to position himself strictly
for the purpose of blocking opposing scorers and without concern for sinking baskets. Yet the
years that coincided with Russell's playing career bear the nickname the "Bill Russell Era."
Critics maintained that Russell's presence on the team was a key factor in 11 NBA
championships won by the Celtics from 1957 through 1969. Russell started with the Boston
Celtics at a salary of $19,500; he wore jersey number 6.
Russell retired from the Celtics in 1969, having led the league in time played (40,726
minutes). He also led in career rebounds, with a total of 21,721. He received five Most
Valuable Player awards: in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1965. The NBA revised some rules
in reaction to Russell's great prowess, including a limitation on in-the-air assists. Years later,
as celebrations were underway to mark the end of the second millennium in 1999, cable
sports network ESPN duly named Russell among the top 50 athletes of the previous 100
years in a retrospective of 20th century sports.
Russell left his mark in sports history as an innovator and a great man. He refused to sign
autographs, yet he never avoided his fans. Instead he mingled with them, talked to them, and
shook their hands—to Russell those gestures were more personal than signing a piece of
paper. He wrote an autobiography, Go Up for Glory, and recorded a memoir for Random
House, Second Wind, with Taylor Branch in 1979.