Out of the Shadows: A Biographical History of African American Athletes

13. Bill Russell: Pioneer and Champion of the Sixties

Bill Russell and his University of San Francisco teammates on a ferry headed to the 1955 NCAA Basketball Championships. Russell is on the far right wearing a hat and holding a raincoat. K. C. Jones, who would become Russell’s longtime teammate on the Boston Celtics, is sixth from right with hands in pockets. (Union Pacific Historical Collection) 2WIGGINS_pages_133-262.qxd 9/12/06 12:00 PM Page 222 13 Bill Russell Pioneer and Champion of the Sixties M A U R E E N M . S M I T H As the twentieth century came to a close, sports television channels and publications compiled their lists of the century’s greatest athletes. Selecting athletes for their impact on both American sport and society, the sporting media at the millennium refocused our attention on some athletes whose days had passed but whose legacies were living on. Topping, or coming close to the top, of many of these lists was basketball great Bill Russell. Named “the greatest team player in history” by Sports Illustrated, Russell’s team, the Boston Celtics, was named “greatest team of the twentieth century.” HBO named Russell “the greatest winner of all time” and hall of fame coach John Wooden called him “the most important college player and pro player of all time.”1 ESPN had Russell at the number-eighteen spot on their SportsCentury list of the top one hundred North American athletes of the century. Thirty years after Russell had won his final NBA championship, sports fans were able to reflect on his accomplishments and appreciate the player who served as a “symbolic figure in the crusade” for civil rights.2 American sport during the civil rights era endured tremendous change in large part due to African American athletes whose success signified the shifting attitudes toward race in sport and the larger society. African American athletes, who in their early years were severally constrained by Jim Crow bigotry and had not fully benefited from the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, integrated American sport with dignity , desire, and an immense amount of talent. Among these athletes, a few transformed their sport, as well as the cultural, social, and political landscape. Muhammad Ali is one such athlete; as a boxer, his involvement in the controversial Nation of Islam and his subsequent refusal to serve in the United States Army resulted in the loss of his heavyweight 2WIGGINS_pages_133-262.qxd 9/12/06 12:00 PM Page 223 title. Russell, as a professional basketball player, provided a different image of an African American athlete. While he did speak out on controversial issues, none of his comments ever incited the kind of passionate feelings that Ali would kindle. Russell was not a “trashtalker,” but a thoughtful philosopher, and by virtue of playing on a team, his livelihood was never threatened by his remarks or actions. He was not suspended , kicked off the team, or traded—instead he continued to perform at a high level throughout his career. He was too valuable to his team to punish for expressing his beliefs. Considered by author George Plimpton to be one of the most intriguing athletes of his generation , Russell contributed mightily to the Celtics dynasty and spoke out on issues of race, culture, and politics at a politically charged time in American history.3 Unlike Ali, the reactions to Russell were less emotionally charged, though he did receive harsh criticism from the media for his outspokenness. Russell was one of the first African American athletes in a team sport to challenge the traditional stereotypes and expectations related to racial issues in sport. Moreover, Russell became the first African American to become a head coach in professional sports. During his career as an athlete and coach, Russell changed the game of basketball and greatly impacted both American sport and society. His significance in the African American struggle for civil rights was largely due to his successful career in professional basketball. Thus, it is important and relevant to provide an overview of his playing career, with an emphasis on his college and professional accomplishments. Equally important are events in his childhood that provided Russell with varying perspectives on race, events that would serve as formative moments influencing his experiences in integrated sport. William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, and was raised in Monroe, Louisiana, for the first nine years of his life. Russell’s family then...