Stephen S. Russo (1982) - Hall of Fame - Brown University Athletics

Stephen S. Russo

Induction:
1982
Class:
1973

Stephan S. Russo '73
Hometown: Massapequa, NY
Sport: Lacrosse
Year Inducted: 1982

Stephan S. Russo ’73 came to Brown from Massapequa, NY, rated a highly skillful lacrosse player and did nothing in his first year on College Hill to tarnish that reputation. Playing on an 8-1 Cub Team, the young attackman scored 60 points on 15 goals and 45 assists. It was the start of an illustrious career that brought Russo All-American, All-Ivy, and All-New England honors. He scored 47 points as a sophomore and was flying high with 33 points through the first nine outings the next spring before he twisted a knee and missed the final four games. He still won first team All-Ivy and All-New England honors and moved into the ninth spot on Brown’s all-time scoring list. Russo’s senior season was his most productive. He had 60 points on 23 goals and 40 assists, leaving himself third in career scoring with 143 points. This offensive show brought Russo All-Ivy and All-New England honors once again, along with a third team berth on the All-American team. Brown won its fifth consecutive New England crown that spring with a 10-1 mark and captured the Ivy title with a perfect 6-0 record. The key victory in the Ivy race was an 11-3 romp over perennial champion Cornell. Russo had five goals in this game and was outstanding in an earlier victory over Harvard at Aldrich Dexter Field, setting Brown and Ivy single-game scoring records with 11 points and eight assists. Later that spring, Russo captained the North team in the annual North-South game. “No-one ever questioned Russo’s ability to score,” Coach Cliff Stevenson says, “but he was equally adept at hitting the open man, especially the midfielder cutting toward the cage. He could help a team in so many different ways.” A social worker, Stephan Russo is director of the Youth Program at Goddard-Riverside Community Center in New York City.