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Photo Credit: Ed Russell

Coach Ed Russell has the distinction of coaching football continuously for over 6 decades. Known as a cutting-edge innovator of the game, Coach Russell is recognized for bringing the run and shoot offense to the Kansas City area after visiting with the legendary inventor Tiger Ellison himself in 1966.

Among various other stops including professional baseball, flying for the Air Force, private business, flight instructor training and coaching football at Missouri Valley College, Ed Russell has impacted football players at area high schools including William Chrisman, Blue Springs, Truman, Tipton, Westport, and University Academy.

Beginning his coaching career in 1957 as an assistant at William Chrisman High School he would become the Bears’ head coach before becoming the head coach and athletic director for Blue Springs from 1966-1972. It was in this era that he began to employ Tiger Ellison’s ideas of run-and-shoot football.

From 1972-1977 Coach Russell earned two Coach of the Year honors as the head coach of Truman, a feat he would repeat when he returned to William Chrisman from 1980-1983.

Following a very successful run as the offensive coordinator at Missouri Valley College, he returned to the high school ranks in 2000 helping Tipton High School to a very impressive average of 10-wins/year over 7 seasons.

Coach Russell would once again unite with legendary HOF Coach Dan Stanley in 2008 at Westport culminating in an impressive playoff win over a suburban powerhouse in just their second season at the school. Russell and Stanley would continue their partnership at University Academy from 2013-2014 after which Coach Russell still finds himself as a press box coach for the Tipton Cardinals.