Hall of Fame Story
The name Russell and basketball are synonymous with greatness in the state of Michigan and Frank Russell was a big reason why that is the case.
In his three seasons with the Titans, he tallied 1,188 points, which was seventh in school history when he graduated, and he helped bring the Titans back to national prominence, taking the team from 7-18 in his first year to 18-6 as a senior with wins over Xavier, Boston College, Dayton and a crushing of No. 2 and previously unbeaten Marquette.Â
In his first year as a Titan, he led the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game and upped that to 15.8 as a junior and 16.2 as a senior.Â
That senior season saw Marquette visit Calihan Hall late in the year at 22-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country but Russell hit all seven of his shots from the field and finished with 16 points and the Titans routed the Warriors, 70-49.Â
He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the third round of the 1972 NBA Draft and played in 23 games during the 1971-72 season, scoring his career-high 11 points in a visit to Detroit.
After his career was over, he dedicated himself to helping the public and was a Youth Advisor for his hometown city of Pontiac before going on to attend law school at Texas Southern University.
After that he founded The Youth Development Institute in Pontiac, where he helped plan, develop and implement programs and projects that are designed to help youth and adults reach their full potential.
He also worked in Oakland County in Human Resources for over 30 years and help find the Pontiac News, dedicated to providing balanced news about the County of Oakland, the Region and the surrounding counties.
