By Bruce Wald, FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, September 25, 2011

Author, historian and sports enthusiast, the tireless Russell recently compiled "History of BVA High School Football (1965-2010)."

The publication made its debut during Belle Vernon's 2011 home opening game with McGuffey on Sept. 9. The 12th annual Belle Vernon Football Hall of Fame Class was also honored at the game, which culminated with a 54-12 victory for the host Leopards.

A longtime educator who is the superintendent of the Belle Vernon Area School District, Russell is also the general chairman of the Mid-Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame. He previously wrote and published the hall's Biographical Journal in 2002 and updates that publication with biographies of each new induction class.

His research for the BVA football project was focused on accumulating photos, stories and game programs. Russell's work covers the program from its inception when Class A schools Rostraver and Bellmar still existed for two seasons but formed one team through the 2010 season.

The document is divided by the 10 different head coaching eras, beginning with James K. Russell, who guided the team for its first four seasons. Russell goes through each season chronologically while listing players, stats and facts.

"This history of BVA football is not intended to be a definitive study but a summary of the past 45 years of the spirited sport in the Belle Vernon community," Russell said. "It was a difficult undertaking to place an overall synopsis of this particular football history into one document."

He praised Ringgold School District junior high basketball coach and Belle Vernon resident Joe Lopez for his encyclopedia-like knowledge of Belle Vernon football as well as fan Marilyn Williams, who provided Russell with game programs dating back to the inaugural 1965 season.

The book, which blends in quotes from coaches, players, and fans, rekindles memories for any fan of Belle Vernon or area scholastic football.

Understandably substantial detail is given to the highly successful coaching eras of Gary Dongilli (1994-2000) and Jeff Petrucci (1975-1980).

Dongilli compiled a program-best 71-11 cumulative record which was highlighted by the 1995 team winning the WPIAL Class AAA championship. The 1996 and 1999 teams also reached the title game while the 1994 and 2000 teams made semifinal showings. His teams won seven consecutive Keystone or Keystone and Big Nine conference titles.

Petrucci's teams compiled a 46-16-1 overall record, including 30-3-1 over his final three seasons with three straight Big Ten Conference titles. His 1978 and 1980 squads both achieved unbeaten regular seasons and advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals.

Bill Connors coached the Leopards to consecutive Big Nine Conference titles in 1988 and 1989 and won 47 games from 1985-1992. Jesse Cramer (2001-2005) coached Belle Vernon to its 13th and last conference (Keystone) crown in 2002. Other Leopards' head coaches include Dick Fields (1969-1974), Chuck Machesky (1981-84), Tony Ruscitto (1993), and Lou Rood (2006-2008).

Current head coach Aaron Krepps is looking to guide Belle Vernon to a third consecutive WPIAL playoff appearance this fall and the former receiver and return specialist is one of three alumni to be a head coach in the program along with Dongilli and Rood.

Petrucci has known Russell since their college days and Russell taught at Ringgold when Petrucci began his coaching career as an assistant at Ringgold while Russell was a student teacher there. Russell was the Belle Vernon Area High School assistant principal (1976-78) and then the Bellmar Junior High principal when Petrucci guided the Leopards.

Last spring, Russell had Petrucci proof his era of the book.

"I think the world of him and he's a really good person and a great, great teacher," Petrucci said. "Steve's really good at what he does and the parts I read were very well done. It's a really neat thing that he has done."

Russell called high school football "a schools' NFL event." A lifelong resident of the Mon Valley, Russell said that personally knowing all of the BVA football head coaches is an advantage.

"High school football lends itself to the excitement of a new school year and the promise of a successful football season transfers to the entire student body," he said. "I do hope the work propels others to write the stories of other high school teams in the area."

Petrucci obviously does not know if Russell's latest work will inspire other local writers to pen documents on their high schools but knows his efforts are effective.

He can't get involved enough in anything he does," Petrucci said. "He gets the teachers and community involved and excited in any project he does. Steve's just really a good guy."

Those wanting to purchase a copy can do so through the mail at $10 for postage and handling with checks to the Belle Vernon Area Football Hall of Fame, 270 Crest Avenue, Belle Vernon Pa 15012.

By JENNIFER BRUMMETT

"Stephen V. Russell gingerly removed a recording from its plastic protector. A quick scan noted "Nat King Cole sings The Song of Raintree County." "This was a private thing that went to radio stations," Russell explained of the collector's item. "The only way to get the song was to have the 45."

Russell, who has an extensive collection of memorabilia from the film "Raintree County," has eyes all over the United States scouring nooks and crannies for collectibles."

 Festival to commemorate filming of Raintree County

Featured in PITTSBURGH Magazine November 2008, Jonathan Wander describes the immense Political collection of Stephen Russell. Currently, the Belle Vernon Area Middle school principle Stephen V Russell, has 10,000 plus political buttons in his collection and has one of the "top 200 collections in the United States"  (Wander, 2008). 

 Click here to download the full PDF article

 Reference:

Wander, Johnathan.(November, 2008).Prez Collector. Pittsburgh Magazine.

As a sixth-grade student in the 1950s, Stephen Russell's enthusiasm for collecting baseball cards transformed into a passion for collecting political memorabilia when Topps came out with presidential collector cards.

Now principal of Belle Vernon School District's Bellmar Middle School in Washington Township, Fayette County, Russell has covered school walls and filled display cases with his collection.

"The displays visually stimulate the kids and give them a feeling of the history of the country," Russell said.

Thousands of people collect political memorabilia including campaign signs, presidential portraits, statues, miniature figurines and campaign buttons. Unlike most of them, Russell is able to use his school as a venue to show off the collection.

The displays of political memorabilia inspire students to ask questions, said Marla McClosky, 51, of Belle Vernon, whose four children attended the middle school in Washington Township, Fayette County. Students wouldn't be as curious about elections if not for the large collection, she said.

"It gives them an awareness of the different presidents there have been throughout the years," McClosky said.

The appeal of political memorabilia is that campaign items were never meant to be collected, said Mark Evans of Avon, N.Y., the member services director for American Political Items Collectors. He said campaign items were meant to be used during a campaign, and then discarded.

Celluloid campaign buttons, in particular, were invented in 1896 as a cheap way to produce a badge of support for a candidate. Since then, people throughout history have collected the buttons, and some rare ones are worth thousands of dollars.

"Buttons are little pieces of history. Every item tells the story of a campaign or a cause," Evans said.

When someone stole a rare campaign button showing an anti-Nixon sentiment from Howard Zane, 69, of Howard County, Md., his quest to find it turned into a hobby.

Although he considers himself more of an acquirer than a collector, Zane picks up campaign buttons when he sees them on eBay or at antique shops simply because he likes the way they look.

"Political buttons are very colorful, artistic and beautiful," Zane said.

Susan Hansen, a political science professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said political memorabilia, especially campaign buttons, are just a way for nominees to get their names out in the public.

Low-budget campaigns, specifically in Wisconsin and Maine, have prided themselves on spending as little money as possible, which includes omitting items such as political memorabilia, Hansen said. As for collectors, Hansen said she doesn't think campaign keepsakes hold any special significance in the reason for collecting them.

"They are just another one of those things to collect," Hansen said. 

Russell, the principal, disagrees. With more than 10,000 political buttons and countless other campaign collectibles, his displays stick with the students long after they leave middle school. 

"I get a lot of response after they graduate," Russell said. "They tell me how inspired they were by the things here." 

Reference:

Jordan, Tiffany.( 2008, April 22). Memorabilia help students feel part of the process. Retrieved on May 17, 2008 from http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/fayette/s_563602.html