| No. 79, 77[1] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | (1963-08-16)August 16, 1963 (age 62) Orangeburg, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
| Weight | 295 lb (134 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school | Wilkinson (Orangeburg) | ||||
| College | South Carolina | ||||
| NFL draft | 1984: 3rd round, 60th overall pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
| Stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||
William "Rusty"Russell (born August 16, 1963) is an American former professionalfootball player who was atackle for one season with thePhiladelphia Eagles of theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Eagles in the third round of the1984 NFL draft after playingcollege football at theUniversity of South Carolina. Russell also played in theArena Football League (AFL).
William Russell was born on August 16, 1963, inOrangeburg, South Carolina.[1] He attendedOrangeburg-Wilkinson High School in Orangeburg.[1]
Russell was a member of theSouth Carolina Gamecocks of theUniversity of South Carolina from 1980 to 1983.[1]
Russell was selected by thePhiladelphia Eagles in the third round, with the 60th overall pick, of the1984 NFL draft.[2] He officially signed with the Eagles on June 19.[3] He was placed on injured reserve on August 28 and later activated on October 18, 1984.[3] Russell played in one game for the Eagles during the 1984 season.[2] He was released on August 20, 1985.[3]
Russell signed a futures contract with theLos Angeles Raiders on November 1, 1985.[3] He was placed on injured reserve on August 26, 1986, and missed the entire 1986 season.[3] He was released by the Rams on September 1, 1987.[3]
Russell played in 50 games for theOrlando Predators of theArena Football League (AFL) from 1991 to 1995.[1] He was anoffensive lineman/defensive lineman during his time in the AFL as the league played underironman rules.[4] He was named second-teamAll-Arena in 1994.[5]
Russell played in all 14 games for theCharlotte Rage of the AFL in 1996.[1] On May 2, 1997, before the start of the 1997 AFL season, it was reported that Russell had signed with theFlorida Bobcats.[6] He appeared in 12 games for the Bobcats in 1997.[1] He finished his AFL career with totals of 52 solo tackles, 13 assisted tackles, 7.5 sacks, one interception, 18 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, and five blocked kicks in 77 games played.[4][1]