PHOTO BY KARL ROSER | PITTSBURGH STEELERS

(updated March 4, 2024)

One of the early members of the Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” defense has died.

Andy Russell, who played 12 seasons with the Steelers, died Thursday night at the age of 82. Russell passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s disease and RSV, according to an obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

A native of Detroit, Russell was drafted by the Steelers in the 16th round. He played college football for the  University of Missouri, where he earned a degree in economics.

“We are saddened by the news of the passing of Andy Russell. Andy was part of the foundation of the great Steelers teams of the 1970s,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement Saturday. “ He was one of the few players who Coach Chuck Noll kept on the team after he became our head coach in 1969. Andy was the team captain and his leadership was a critical part of Coach Noll’s development of the 70’s Steelers which paved the way to 4 Super Bowl Championships. We were excited to induct Andy into our inaugural Steelers’ Hall of Honor class in 2017.”

After playing most of his rookie season in 1963, Russell temporarily left the team for the Army to fulfill ROTC commitments. He then returned to the Steelers in 1966, where he would play for the next 11 seasons.

Russell was the team’s MVP in 1971 and was chosen for the Pro Bowl seven times in his career. He earned Championship rings in Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl X.

PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Russell’s play made a big impression on Hall of Fame Steelers linebacker Jack Ham, who wrote these words to accompany Russell’s page recognizing his place in the Steelers’ Hall of Honor:

“Today, most players back into the Pro Bowl by playing mediocre football on good teams. Andy played great football on a worse-than-mediocre team. Why? Because Andy was always the consummate professional. His personal pride and drive for excellence allowed him to stand out on even the worst of football teams. It would have been easy for him to give up or be sucked into the mediocrity that he saw all around him, but he refused to do so. That attitude was clear to me from my first day of training camp to Andy’s last game with the Steelers.”

After his playing days were over, Russell continued to give back to the Pittsburgh community. The Andy Russell Charitable Foundation was created in March 1999 to raise funds to support services and programs focused on children’s needs, nutrition initiatives, veteran’s services, cancer research and the Departments of Urology and Sports Medicine Concussion Program at UPMC.

He is survived by his wife, Cindy – an avid animal rights activist who serves on the board of Animal Friends – and two children and seven grandchildren.

A private memorial service is planned for a later date.