Cazzie Russell facts for kids
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Russell accepts the 1966 Big Ten MVP trophy
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 7, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Carver (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 218 lb (99 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Michigan (1963–1966) |
| NBA Draft | 1966 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Pro career | 1966–1981 |
| Coaching career | 1981–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1966–1971 | New York Knicks |
| 1971–1974 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1974–1977 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1977–1978 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1978–1979 | Great Falls Sky |
| 1980–1981 | Philadelphia Kings |
| 1982 | Lancaster Lightning |
| As coach: | |
| 1981–1982 | Lancaster Lightning |
| 1988–1990 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| 1996–2009 | SCAD |
| 2014–2017 | Armstrong State (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,377 (15.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,068 (3.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,838 (2.2 apg) |
Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is a famous American former professional basketball player and coach. He was a talented NBA All-Star player. The New York Knicks chose him as the very first pick in the 1966 NBA draft. Russell helped the Knicks win an NBA championship in 1970.
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Cazzie Russell's Early Life
Cazzie Russell was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 7, 1944. He was an amazing player at Chicago's Carver High School. For two years, he was named an All-State player. During the 1961-62 season, he scored about 25 points per game. He was the first player from Illinois to be named Mr. Basketball USA.
At the end of his junior year in 1962, Russell was also named the Chicago Sun-Times Boys' Player of the Year. That same year, he led Carver to the final game of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state championship. Carver won its first three games. But they lost the championship by just one point, 49–48. Russell scored 24 points in that game. He was the second-highest scorer in the whole tournament. He was also chosen for the All-Tournament Team. Many people think he is one of Chicago's best high school basketball players ever.
Cazzie Russell's College Career
Cazzie Russell played college basketball at the University of Michigan. With teammate Bill Buntin, Russell led the Wolverines to win three Big Ten Conference titles in a row (1964–66). They also reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament in 1964 and 1965.
In 1965, Michigan beat Princeton in the semifinals. Russell scored 28 points in that game. But Michigan lost the final game to UCLA, even though Russell scored 28 points again.
In 1966, Russell scored an average of 30.8 points per game. He was named the College Basketball Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP). Other groups like The Sporting News and UPI also picked him as the top college player. He also won the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Oscar Robertson Trophy. The University of Michigan's Crisler Arena, a basketball stadium, opened in 1967. It is often called The House that Cazzie Built because of his impact.
Russell was named a first-team All-American in 1965 and 1966. He was a second-team All-American in 1964. His 30.8 points per game in a season is still a Michigan record. His career average of 27.1 points per game is also a Michigan record. In 1989, his number 33 jersey was retired. It was hung up in the Crisler Arena to honor him.
Cazzie Russell's Professional Career
The New York Knicks chose Cazzie Russell as the first player in the 1966 NBA draft. He played for the Knicks for five seasons, from 1966 to 1971. During his time with the Knicks, he was named to the 1967 NBA All-Rookie Team. He also helped the team win the NBA Finals in 1970.
Russell was often known as the "sixth man" for the Knicks. This means he was usually the first player to come off the bench. He scored 4,584 points in 344 games for the Knicks. His best season with the Knicks was 1968-69. He started 46 games and averaged 18.3 points per game. Russell had some injuries during his last two years with the Knicks. This meant he played less. His skills improved a lot under the Knicks' coach, Red Holzman.
On May 7, 1971, Russell was traded to the Golden State Warriors. Warriors coach Al Attles thought Russell was a great offensive player. He also saw him as a strong rebounder and good defensive player. In his first season with the Warriors (1971-72), Russell played more minutes. He averaged 21.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. These were higher than any of his years with the Knicks. He was also chosen for the 1972 NBA All-Star Game.
Russell played two more seasons for the Warriors. On September 6, 1974, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played three seasons with the Lakers. In his last season with them (1976-77), he started all 82 games. He averaged 16.4 points per game. The Lakers had a great record that year, but they lost in the Western Conference finals.
While with the Lakers, Russell wore jersey numbers 32 and 33. These numbers were later retired to honor Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Russell's NBA career ended in 1978 when he played for the Chicago Bulls. In total, he played 12 seasons in the NBA.
After the NBA, Russell played for other teams. He played for the Great Falls Sky in 1978–79. He finished his playing career in 1980–81 with the Philadelphia Kings. At 36 years old, he scored 23 points per game for the Kings. He was named the CBA's Newcomer of the Year.
Cazzie Russell's Coaching Career
In 1981, Cazzie Russell became a head coach. He coached the Lancaster Lightning in the CBA. He led his team to win the league championship in 1981–82. During the playoffs, his team had many injured players. So, Russell came out of retirement and played in the final championship game. He was named the CBA Coach of the Year in 1982.
Russell also coached other teams in the CBA. These included the Wyoming Wildcatters and Grand Rapids Hoops. He was also an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons (1988–1990). He coached at Centennial High School in Ohio. Later, he was the head coach for the men's basketball team at the Savannah College of Art and Design for 13 seasons. He also served as an assistant coach at Armstrong State University until 2017. More recently, he has been a special assistant coach for the women's basketball team at Flagler College.
Military Service
During the 1960s, while playing for the Knicks, Cazzie Russell was also part of the Fighting 69th Regiment. This is a part of the New York Army National Guard. He started as a private. He served in the army even during the basketball season. He was sometimes called to active duty during national emergencies.
Personal Life
Cazzie Russell moved to Savannah, Georgia in 1996. He moved there with his wife, Myrna White-Russell. She was a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Myrna passed away in 2014. In 1989, Russell became a Baptist Minister.
In 1970, Russell had a confusing experience with police in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Police were looking for an escaped prisoner. They mistakenly thought Russell was the person they were looking for. Once they realized who he was, they let him go. When he returned to his team, he was very upset. But his team captain, Willis Reed, helped him calm down. Russell later said Reed was an "amazing man" for his leadership.
Cazzie Russell's Honors and Awards
Cazzie Russell has received many honors for his basketball career:
- In 2011, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
- In 1991, he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
- In 1978, he was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.
- In 1973, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
- In 2006, Russell was named one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament. This honor celebrated 100 years of the IHSA boys basketball tournament.
- In 2015, he received the Bobby Jones Award.
- In 2016, he received the Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–67 | New York | 77 | – | 22.0 | .436 | – | .785 | 3.3 | 2.4 | – | – | 11.3 |
| 1967–68 | New York | 82 | – | 28.0 | .462 | – | .808 | 4.6 | 2.4 | – | – | 16.9 |
| 1968–69 | New York | 50 | – | 32.9 | .450 | – | .796 | 4.2 | 2.3 | – | – | 18.3 |
| 1969–70† | New York | 78 | – | 20.0 | .498 | – | .775 | 3.0 | 1.7 | – | – | 11.5 |
| 1970–71 | New York | 57 | – | 18.5 | .429 | – | .773 | 3.4 | 1.4 | – | – | 9.2 |
| 1971–72 | Golden State | 79 | – | 36.7 | .455 | – | .833 | 5.4 | 3.1 | – | – | 21.4 |
| 1972–73 | Golden State | 80 | – | 30.4 | .458 | – | .864 | 4.4 | 2.3 | – | – | 15.7 |
| 1973–74 | Golden State | 82 | – | 31.4 | .482 | – | .835 | 4.3 | 2.3 | .7 | .2 | 20.5 |
| 1974–75 | L.A. Lakers | 40 | – | 26.4 | .455 | – | .894 | 2.9 | 2.7 | .7 | .1 | 15.7 |
| 1975–76 | L.A. Lakers | 74 | – | 22.0 | .463 | – | .892 | 2.5 | 1.6 | .7 | .0 | 11.8 |
| 1976–77 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | – | 31.5 | .490 | – | .858 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 16.4 |
| 1977–78 | Chicago | 36 | – | 21.9 | .438 | – | .860 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .5 | .1 | 8.8 |
| Career | 817 | – | 27.2 | .464 | – | .827 | 3.8 | 2.4 | .8 | .1 | 15.1 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 20.0 | .308 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | – | – | 10.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | New York | 4 | – | 22.3 | .394 | – | .769 | 4.8 | 2.8 | – | – | 15.5 |
| 1968 | New York | 6 | – | 34.8 | .561 | – | .833 | 3.8 | 1.7 | – | – | 21.7 |
| 1969 | New York | 5 | – | 7.2 | .238 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .2 | – | – | 2.4 |
| 1970† | New York | 19 | – | 16.1 | .485 | – | .947 | 2.5 | .8 | – | – | 9.4 |
| 1971 | New York | 11 | – | 10.9 | .391 | – | 1.000 | 2.0 | .7 | – | – | 5.6 |
| 1972 | Golden State | 5 | – | 32.2 | .492 | – | .750 | 4.4 | 1.8 | – | – | 14.2 |
| 1973 | Golden State | 11 | – | 23.9 | .490 | – | .864 | 3.3 | 1.5 | – | – | 14.8 |
| 1977 | L.A. Lakers | 11 | – | 34.7 | .414 | – | .880 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 15.8 |
| Career | 72 | – | 21.8 | .460 | – | .870 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 11.8 | |
See also
In Spanish: Cazzie Russell para niños
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
