March 1, 2011 - 10:08pm
Cazzie Russell named to College Basketball Hall of Fame
BY BEN ESTES
Former Wolverine Cazzie Russell’s No. 33 hangs in the rafters at Crisler Arena, the only jersey ever to be retired by the Michigan basketball program. On Monday, Russell added an even greater honor to his resume: the Hall of Fame.
Russell was part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Foundation’s 2011 class for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the organization announced yesterday. The Michigan legend will be inducted into the Hall on Nov. 20, joined by fellow inductees Chris Mullin, James Worthy, Ralph Sampson, Bob Knight, Eddie Sutton, Joe Vancisin and Eddie Einhorn.
During his three-year career in Ann Arbor from 1964-66, Russell earned a host of awards and achievements — he was an All-American in each season, was named Big Ten Player of the Year twice and was the National Player of the Year during his senior season.
But Russell’s success wasn’t limited to just individual accolades. The Wolverines were Big Ten champions in all three of his seasons and made the Final Four under his leadership in both 1964 and 1965, the first two trips to the national semifinals in program history.
Russell would go on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 1966 NBA Draft by New York, and enjoyed a 12-year professional career playing for the Knicks, Warriors, Lakers and Bulls.
Before Russell’s era, Michigan played its games at cramped Yost Fieldhouse. The Chicago, Ill. native had such a profound impact on the school’s basketball program that the University built Crisler Arena to accommodate the surge in interest and fans brought on by Russell. As a result, Crisler became known as the “House that Cazzie Built.”
