Bill Russell

Played For
Los Angeles Dodgers (1969-1986)

Managed
Los Angeles Dodgers (1996-1998)

Minor League Experience
One of the best years in Los Angeles Dodgers' history was 1968. On the field the team finished 7th, 21 games back of the Cardinals, but it was some significant off the field events that changed the franchise forever. In the January and June drafts of '68 the Dodgers nabbed 15 future major leaguers, including Bill Buckner, Geoff Zahn, Joe Ferguson, Tom Paciorek, Bobby Valentine, and 3/4 of their infield of the future: Ron Cey, Steve Garvey and Davey Lopes. Bill Russell was already in the Dodgers' system when those players were drafted. After a few years as an outfielder (Walter Alston compared him to Willie Davis defensively), Russell was asked to replace Maury Wills at shortstop in 1972. In June of 1973, the four Dodger infielders played together for the first time in a ML game.

Best Season: 1978
He played 155 games, set a career-high with 32 doubles, a .286 batting average, and 179 hits. In the playoffs he batted .412 against the Phillies and in the Ws he hit .423 with 11 hits against New York.

NL Shortstops of the 1970s
In the 1970s the National League boasted three shortstops of notoriety. Each played for winning teams. Each usually batted low in the lineup - and each became All-Stars. The three were Bill Russell, Larry Bowa and Davey Concepcion. From 1972 to 1983 all three were starting shortstops in the NL. Bowa went to the post-season with the Phillies five times in those 12 years, Concepcion five times with the Reds, and Russell five times with LA. Bowa and Russell won one World Series title, Davey two. Each of them were right-handed hitters with little power. Concepcion and Bowa played on turf, Russell on grass in a pitchers park. The voters awarded Concepcion the Gold Glove five times (1974-1977, and 1979), Bowa twice (1972 and 1978), while Russell was never considered their equal with the leather. He was a convert to the position, having originally been an outfielder.

From 1972 to 1983, their offense broke down like this:

Concepcion had a .273 batting average, .373 slugging, and .328 on-base percentage; Bowa came in with .265/.328/.304; Russell was .266/.340/.311. Concepcion hit 84 homers and drove in 734 runs; Bowa's same categories were 15 and 434; Russell's was 39 and 519. Bowa stoled 251 bases; Concepcion swiped 244; Russell was the slowest of the thre by far, and stoled 133. Bowa occassionally hit higher in the lineup and scored some more runs; the three ranked this way in runs created for the 12 year span: Concepcion, Bowa, Russell. They played essentially the same number of games.

If you had to choose one of them to start your infield, you'd take Concepcion. He was not only a better offensive player, but contemporary observers overwhelmingly supported him for the Gold Glove Award in most years.

Most Games Played for the Dodgers
Zack Wheat...2,322
Bill Russell...2,181
Pee Wee Reese...2,107
Willie Davis...1,952
Steve Garvey...1,727

Dodgers to Hit Two Triples in One Game at Dodger Stadium
Bill Russell... August 5, 1970, vs. Braves
Steve Sax... June 29, 1984, vs. Cubs
Jason Repko... September 26, 2005, vs. Pirates

Where He Played
Shortstop is where he finally settled, though he was never considered a particularly good fielder. In fact, he was mediocre in several seasons there. But, he did play more than 1,700 games at short, and there's something to say for that. His range factors were good, though probably helped by the pitching staffs he played behind.

As a Manager
On July 29, 1996, Tommy Lasorda retired as Dodgers' manager after suffering a heart attack earlier in the year. Russell assumed the mantle of interim skipper, and after a 35-21 record over the last 56 games, Los Angeles was in the playoffs as a wild card. Despite a three-game sweep at the hands of the Braves, Russell was named manager following the season. In 1997 he guided the team to a second place finish, just two back of the hated Giants. The season was marred by two fights Russell had with two of his pitchers. Each of the hurlers clashed with Russell after they were removed from the game. With LA two games under .500 in 1998 Russell and GM Fred Claire were both fired.

Born
William Ellis Russell was born on October 21, 1948, in Pittsburg, KS.

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  SS

Primary Team:  LAN

College:  Kansas State

Major League Debut
April 7, 1969

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1969
Darrell Evans
Bill Buckner
Carlton Fisk
Steve Garvey
Bill Russell
Toby Harrah
Vida Blue
Jerry Reuss
Thurman Munson

Similar Players
Roger Peckinpaugh, Ozzie Guillen

Related Players
Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1992 BBWAA 3 .7%

Post-Season Appearances
1974 National League Championship Series
1974 World Series
1977 National League Championship Series
1977 World Series
1978 National League Championship Series
1978 World Series
1981 National League Division Playoffs
1981 National League Championship Series
1981 World Series
1983 National League Championship Series

Post-Season Notes
With two outs in the bottom of the 10th of Game Five in the 1978 Playoffs, Russell singled in Ron Cey with the winning run, giving the Dodgers the pennant. The hit came off the Phillies' Tug McGraw.

Notes
Russell's first-inning throwing error on June 27, 1980, seemed innocent enough but it later proved painful to one of his teammates. Jerry Ruess proceeded to retire every batter he faced, missing a perfect game because of the shortstop's muscue.

Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Underwent surgery to remove calcium and a bone chip from his right shoulder (off-season 1976)...

All-Star Selections
1973 NL
1976 NL
1980 NL

Replaced
Maury Wills

Replaced By
Dave Anderson

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