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A prep basketball star, Bill Russell (no relation to the great Boston Celtics center) was signed to a baseball contract out of a Kansas high school too small to field a baseball team. He played in the outfield his first two years with the Dodgers, and manager Walt Alston considered him an even better outfielder than Willie Davis. But Alston needed a shortstop to replace Maury Wills in 1972, and Russell was chosen. After a rough start, leading National League shortstops in errors in 1972, he was named to the 1973 All-Star team. He would be named an All-Star again in 1976 and 1980.

Teamed with Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, and Ron Cey for over eight years, Russell was an integral part of baseball's longest-lasting infield and a vital cog in the Dodgers' annual drive for a pennant. With Russell at short, the Dodgers made it to the World Series in 1977, 1978, and won it all in 1981. Only Zach Wheat played more games and seasons as a Dodger than Russell.

A finger injury made his throws erratic late in his career, and he retired after 1986 to become a Dodger coach. When Tommy Lasorda retired on July 29, 1996, Russell was named as the team's interim manager and earned the full-time job after leading the Dodgers to a strong 35-21 finish and a playoff berth. During the 1997 campaign Russell used 101 different lineups as the Dodgers finished just shy of the Giants in a tight NL West race that came down to the last series of the season.

The team was sold after the season to Rupert Murdoch's Fox Group, who showed little tolerance for a slow start in '98. On June 21, Russell and GM Fred Claire were both shown the door with the team lingering at 36-38. Stung by the firing, the Dodger great didn't return to the majors until the 2000 season, when he joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as Larry Rothschild's bench coach. (TG/JGR)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » December 15, 1960: The biggest trade in history? The Phils lose more than two 1/2 inches when they acquire P Frank Sullivan from the Red Sox for 6' 9" Gene Conley. In the next two years, Conley will win 26 games for the Sox, the 3rd Boston team he will play for: Conley started with the Boston Braves in their last year before moving to Milwaukee, and played several seasons with the Celtics as Bill Russell's backup. » October 1, 1972: Reds pitchers Don Gullett and Clay Carroll combine on a 2-hitter as the Reds beat the Dodgers, 1–0. The first hit is a single by Bill Russell off Gullett in the 8th. » September 6, 1976: Dodger C Steve Yeager is seriously injured when he is struck in the neck by the loose end of a bat. Yeager is in the on-deck circle when the end of teammate Bill Russell's bat comes off when he is hitting. The Dodgers beat the Padres, 4–1. » October 7, 1978: The Dodgers win the NLCS 4–3 as Bill Russell's 10th-inning 2-out single scores Ron Cey. Dusty Baker collects four hits for Los Angeles. A walk to Cey and a routine liner that Garry Maddox muffs in CF sets up Russell's game-winner. » July 20, 1979: At Los Angeles, Steve Garvey saves a defeat for the Dodgers by belting a 2-run homer in the 10th to tie, and another 2-run homer in the 11th by Bill Russell wins it, 6–5, over the Expos. Montreal takes the lead in the 11th when Rodney Scott drives in a run with his 5th straight hit. Dave Patterson wins his first ML game, while Manny Mota has a pinch single for the 139 pinch hit of his career. » June 27, 1980: The Dodgers Jerry Reuss pitches an 8–0 no-hitter against the Giants at Candlestick Park. Reuss, who strikes out only two but doesn't walk a batter, is deprived of a perfect game when SS Bill Russell throws wildly to 1B on Jack Clark's easy grounder in the first inning. » February 8, 1982: The Dodgers break up the longest-playing infield unit in ML history by trading veteran 2B Davey Lopes to the A's for minor-leaguer Lance Hudson. Lopes, 1B Steve Garvey, 3B Ron Cey, and SS Bill Russell had been the Dodgers' starting infield since 1974. » July 30, 1984: At San Diego, Dave Dravecky allows one hit—a double to Bill Russell in the 7th—as the Padres rout the Dodgers, 12–0. » October 24, 1986: Bill Russell, 38, announces his retirement. He was the last member of the Dodgers Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield and is 2nd on the club's all-time games-played list with 2,183. » June 26, 1996: Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda undergoes an angioplasty after suffering a mild heart attack. Bill Russell is named Los Angeles' interim manager. » July 29, 1996: Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda announces his retirement. Lasorda, who underwent an angioplasty earlier this year after suffering a heart attack, will become a team vice president. Bill Russell is named manager. » June 8, 1997: Tom Lampkin, Royce Clayton and Delino DeShields homer as the visiting Cardinals whip Los Angeles, 9–3. For the second time in four days, a Dodger starting pitcher mixes it up with manager Bill Russell in the dugout. Starter Pedro Astacio, starts the discussion on the mound with Russell in the 4th inning and then, after the 3rd out, sprints to the dugout and slams his glove against the bench before resuming the argument. On Thursday night, Ismael Valdes argued with Russell after being lifted for a pinch-hitter. » June 21, 1998: The Dodgers fire general manager Fred Claire and manager Bill Russell. Former manager Tommy Lasorda is hired as GM on an interim basis. Glenn Hoffman, who managed the team's Triple–A Albuquerque farm club, takes over as interim manager.