Cazzie Russell

American basketball player who starred at Michigan in the 1960s, winning the Naismith Award in 1966 and leading the Wolverines to two Final Four appearances.

Cazzie Lee Russell was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1944. He attended the University of Michigan and became the school's most celebrated scorer — averaging 27.1 points per game across three varsity seasons, the highest career average in Michigan history. He won the Naismith Award as national player of the year in 1966 and was a three-time consensus All-American. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year twice. He led Michigan to Final Four appearances in 1964 and 1965. He was selected first overall by the New York Knicks in the 1966 NBA Draft — before Bill Bradley's rights were also acquired by the team, creating a celebrated positional competition. His Michigan career — three years of dominant scoring in the Big Ten — made him the most celebrated player the programme had produced to that point. He averaged over 30 points per game in multiple Big Ten games. His combination of scoring from the perimeter and the post, athleticism and competitive intensity made him an archetype of the complete college scorer. He won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 1975. His Michigan legacy is as the player who established that the programme could produce nationally relevant scorers at the highest level.

Russell was a versatile 6'5" guard-forward known for his exceptional shooting ability and smooth offensive skills. He possessed excellent range on his jump shot and was equally effective driving to the basket. His combination of size, athleticism, and basketball IQ made him a matchup problem for opponents.

Russell helped elevate Michigan basketball to national prominence during the 1960s and remains one of the greatest players in program history.

• Naismith Award (1966)
• Big Ten Player of Year 2x
• Final Four (1964,1965)
• Consensus All-American 3x
• Michigan Basketball Jersey Retired (#33)
• Academic All-Big Ten