Honey Russell

John David "Honey" Russell (May 31, 1902 – November 15, 1973) was an American basketball player and coach who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964. He turned professional after his sophomore year of high school, and for the next 28 years he played for numerous early 20th century pro teams, including many in the American Basketball League. His career included over 3,200 pro games (a number that would take a modern NBA player 30–40 years to equal). He was the first coach of the NBA's Boston Celtics (1946–1948).

Honey Russell

Personal information
Born	(1902-05-31)May 31, 1902 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	November 15, 1973(1973-11-15) (aged 71) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school	Alexander Hamilton (Brooklyn, New York)
Career history
As player:
1920–1921	Plymouth Shawnees
1920–1922	Easthampton Hampers
1921–1923	Brooklyn Pros
1921–1922	Mohawk Indians
1921–1923	Albany Senators
1922–1923	Northampton Hampers
1923–1924	Yonkers Leaguers
1923–1925	Cleveland Rosenblooms
1924–1925	Original Celtics
1925–1927	Cleveland Rosenblums
1925–1926	Lou Gehrig All Stars
1926–1930	Chicago Bruins
1928–1929	Rochester Centrals
1930–1931	Paterson Crescents
1930–1931	Bridgeton Moose
1930–1931	Carbondale
1931–1932	Bridgeton
1931–1933	Brooklyn Americans
1932–1933	Trenton Bengals
1932–1933	Brooklyn Jewels
1932–1934	Dunmore
1933–1934	Trenton Moose
1934–1935	Newark / New Britain Mules
1934–1935	Nanticoke
1934–1936	Freeland
1934–1935	Albany
1935–1939	New York Jewels
1936–1937	Hazleton
1937–1938	Allentown
1937–1938	Wilkes-Barre
1937–1938	New York Hakoah
1937–1938	New York Kate Smith Celtics
1938–1939	Allentown-Hamburg
1938–1939	Tunkhannock
1938–1940	New York Yankees
1939–1940	Wilkes-Barre Barons
1939–1940	Hamburg
1939–1940	Washington Brewers
1942–1943	Wilmington Clippers
1942–1944	Camden / Brooklyn Indians
1944–1945	New York Westchesters
1944–1945	Jersey Reds
As coach:
1927–1930	Chicago Bruins
1934–1935	Newark / New Britain Mules
1934–1935	Albany
1936–1937	New York Jewels
1936–1943	Seton Hall
1937–1938	New York Kate Smith Celtics
1939–1940	Wilkes-Barre Barons
1942–1944	Camden / Brooklyn Indians
1944–1945	New York Westchesters
1945–1946	Trenton
1945–1946	Manhattan
1946–1948	Boston Celtics
1948–1950	Schenectady Packers
1949–1960	Seton Hall
Career highlights and awards
As player: 2× ABL champion (1926, 1939) 4× ABL All-Star (1926–1929) As coach: NIT champion (1953)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

Russell coached basketball at Seton Hall University from 1936 to 1943 and again from 1949 to 1960. His teams won 294 games and lost 137. In 1940 and 1941, Seton Hall ran its winning streak to 43 games, a national record at the time. The 1952–53 team won the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. That team won 31 games, including 27 in a row, while only losing 2 games.

Russell also was a scout in professional baseball, working for the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos and Chicago White Sox. Of the many players he signed, 23 made it to the major leagues, including Joe and Frank Torre, Don McMahon, and Earl Williams.

Head coaching record

NCAA

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Seton Hall Pirates (Independent) (1936–1943)
1936–37	Seton Hall	5–10
1937–38	Seton Hall	10–8
1938–39	Seton Hall	15–7
1939–40	Seton Hall	19–0
1940–41	Seton Hall	20–2			NIT Third-place game
1941–42	Seton Hall	16–3
1942–43	Seton Hall	16–2
Manhattan Jaspers (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1945–1946)
1945–46	Manhattan	15–8	2–4	5th
Manhattan:		15–8 (.652)	2–4 (.333)
Seton Hall Pirates (Independent) (1949–1960)
1949–50	Seton Hall	11–15
1950–51	Seton Hall	24–7			NIT Third-place game
1951–52	Seton Hall	25–3			NIT First round
1952–53	Seton Hall	31–2			NIT Champions
1953–54	Seton Hall	13–10
1954–55	Seton Hall	17–9			NIT First round
1955–56	Seton Hall	20–5			NIT Quarterfinals
1956–57	Seton Hall	17–10			NIT First round
1957–58	Seton Hall	7–19
1958–59	Seton Hall	13–10
1959–60	Seton Hall	16–7
Seton Hall:		295–129 (.696)
Total:		310–137 (.694)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

BAA

Legend

Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
Boston	1946–47	60	22	38	.367	5th in Eastern	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Boston	1947–48	58	20	38	.345	3rd in Eastern	3	1	2	.333	Lost in Quarterfinals
Total		118	42	76	.356		3	1	2	.333

External links

• Honey Russell at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• John Russell @ basketball-reference.com
• Honey Russell @ ProBasketballEncyclopedia.com