Felice Angelo "Felix" Russo (10 June 1926 – 15 February 2005) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He had a son, father-in-law, two sons-in-law and three grandchildren who have all played VFL/AFL football.
| Felix Russo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Felice Angelo Russo | ||
| Date of birth | 10 June 1926 | ||
| Date of death | 15 February 2005 (aged 78) | ||
| Original team(s) | Elwood CYMS | ||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1950–1951 | St Kilda | 14 (1) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1951. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Biography
editFootball
editEducated at De La Salle College, Russo captained his school to a premiership in 1944.[1] He was recruited to locally from Elwood. As well as playing for Elwood CYMS he also played some of his early football for Footscray Technical School Old Boys.[2][3]
Russo, who worked as a physical education instructor, debuted for St Kilda at the age of 23 in the 1950 VFL season.[3] Used as a wingman, he played eight games in his first season of VFL football.[3][4] In the 1951 season he made six appearances for St Kilda.[4]
Following his two seasons at St Kilda, Russo played with Victorian Football Association (VFA) club Sandringham. He won the club's best and fairest award in the 1953 VFA season.[5] Under the coaching of Tommy Lahiff, Russo captained Sandringham in 1954.[6][7]
Personal life
editRusso is of Italian descent. His father was born in Italy, as were his maternal grandparents.[8]
He is related to many past and present league footballers. His son, Peter Russo, was a member of two Hawthorn premiership teams and also played for St Kilda.[9]
One of his daughters, Bernadette, married Hawthorn player John Kennedy, Jr, who is the son of legendary Hawthorn coach John Kennedy Sr. John and Bernadette had a son, Josh Kennedy, who plays for the Sydney Swans.[10]
Another daughter, Jenny, also married a footballer, Richmond and South Melbourne defender Ray Ball.[11] Two of Ray's sons, Luke and Matthew, played in the AFL.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Sutherland has the Saints "Happy"". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne. 1 April 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 16 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
- ^ a b c "League Footballers of 1950—Wing Men". The Argus Weekend Magazine. Melbourne. 17 June 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "AFL Tables – Felix Russo – Games Played". AFL Tables. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Russo Best at Sandringham". The Age. 7 September 1953. p. 13. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Honourboard". Sandringham Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ Welch, Bruce (29 March 1954). "Williamstown to Get Young Centre Player". The Age. p. 13. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Italian Team of the Century – Player Details". Italian Team of the Century. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ AFL Record, Round 14, 2011. The Slattery Media Group. 24 June 2011. p. 66.
- ^ Flanagan, Martin (29 September 2012). "A man's man and coach's coach". The Age. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ a b Baum, Greg (18 June 2004). "Mum's the word as the Ball boys do battle". The Age. p. 14.
External links
edit- Felix Russo's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Felix Russo at AustralianFootball.com