Bill Russell: A Biography

As a student of life and basketball, as a basketball player and coach, as an African-American, a businessman, a lecturer, and a man, Bill Russell projects the same single image of a man committed to understanding, improvement, and teamwork in the constant pursuit of new and ever-greater heights. And as his 2 NCAA titles, his Olympic gold medal, and his 11 NBA championships clearly show, the heights towards which Bill Russell most often strove were athletic, and in these athletic contests he was rarely to be denied. As a coach--the first black coach in NBA history--and general manager in his later days, Russell still maintained this same ability to utilize all of the resources available in order to construct a winning entity, and it is because of this very ability that he was later able to captivate lecture audiences from behind a podium. Bill Russell remains a compelling subject for anyone interested in the constitution and development of a champion.

This book also includes a thorough bibliography of print and electronic sources to aid further research. A timeline plots the key events in Russell’s life and career.

Murry R. Nelson is Professor of Education and American Studies at Penn State University.