Kathy Russell (2015) - Hall of Fame - Troy University Athletics

Kathy Russell

Induction:
2015

From inner-city Chicago to state champion in Troy, Alabama. Kathy Russell took quite a different path than most 1970s and 1980s Troy student-athletes, but she has ended in a place many dream of, the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame.

Russell was one of the top high school basketball players in Chicago in the late 1970s and had scholarship offers from many schools in the Midwest, including the University of Indiana. However, Southern hospitality and a beautiful campus made Troy State the right place for Russell.

She arrived on the Troy campus in 1977 and attended a spring tryout for the women’s basketball team. It was there that she turned heads and earned a roster spot from head coach, and now fellow Troy University Sports Hall of Fame member, Joyce Sorrell.

As they say, the rest was history. In Russell’s case, a history that can still be seen in the Troy record books. In addition to being a key member of Troy’s 1981 Alabama AIAW State Championship team, the 5-foot-11 center is still the school’s all-time leader in career rebounds with 1,325 boards.

Russell finished her career one rebound ahead of teammate Denise Monroe, another Troy University Sports Hall of Fame member. Russell also finished as Troy’s second leading scorer with 1,521 points, behind only Monroe.

“Having Kathy and Denise together obviously made a big difference,” Sorrell said. “They were both outstanding athletes with a great work ethic. Kathy was so interested in coaching and every other aspect of the game that she was easy to teach.”

To this day, Russell is still the school’s all-time leading rebounder with no player ever getting within 300 rebounds of her record. She is now the seventh leading scorer in Troy history.

A two-time All-Alabama AIAW selection, Russell set the Troy single-season record for rebounds in 1979-80 with 394 boards, another record that still holds today. In fact, all four of her single-season rebounding totals still rank in the program’s top 10.

However, it wasn’t just her talent on the court that made Russell special. The Chicago native adjusted to life in the South and built a great relationship with Sorrell.

“I met Kathy’s mother, and she’s a real personable individual just like Kathy,” Sorrell said. “I told her I’d do my best to make sure Kathy settled in and was taken care of. Kathy made it easy because she was a great student and was motivated to get an education as well as play basketball. It was part of my responsibility, and I didn’t really think of it as responsibility, to put all of my students and players under my wing.”

It was Russell’s enthusiasm for basketball that brought her back to Troy a decade after her playing career. The 1983 graduate returned to Troy in 1993 as an assistant coach on Sorrell’s inaugural NCAA Division I staff. Russell spent two years on the Troy staff as the Trojans transitioned to Division I.

“Kathy did a great job recruiting because she got along well with athletes and was just a really good people person,” Sorrell said. “She was interested in coaching and you can tell she loves the game from the moment you meet her.”

Russell also spent time coaching at West Alabama, FIU, the AAU Georgia Metros and the Atlanta Justice Women’s Professional Developmental team. An avid women’s basketball supporter, Russell is a Dream Ambassador for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Russell is also currently a high school and college basketball official.

“Kathy was unique because she was from Chicago and most of the players in those days were from the area around Troy and Alabama,” Sorrell said. “Right away she made a home in Troy and the team pulled together well. The way she approached getting better as a player, the way she approached learning the game and staying with the game allowed her to make great contributions to the program and to the University.”