[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 759 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 759
Honoring Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, 11-time National
Basketball Association champion, first Black head coach of the National
Basketball Association, and civil rights activist.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 13, 2022
Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Warren, Ms. Hassan, and Mr. Reed)
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, 11-time National
Basketball Association champion, first Black head coach of the National
Basketball Association, and civil rights activist.
Whereas William ``Bill'' Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in West
Monroe, Louisiana;
Whereas, after graduating from McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, in
1952, Russell was recruited to play basketball at the University of San
Francisco;
Whereas, in 2 seasons, Russell led the University of San Francisco Dons men's
basketball team to a combined record of 57-1 and 2 national
championships and was named most outstanding player of the 1955 National
Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball Tournament;
Whereas, in the 1956 draft for the National Basketball Association (commonly
known as the ``NBA''), the Boston Celtics acquired Russell, who the St.
Louis Hawks had selected with the second overall pick in the draft;
Whereas, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, Russell was the
captain of the United States Men's Olympic Basketball team, averaged a
team-high 14.1 points per game, and led the United States to a gold
medal victory over the Soviet Union;
Whereas, throughout his career in the NBA as a player and a coach, Russell
earned an unprecedented number of awards and accolades, including--
(1) a record 11 NBA championships, received in years 1957, 1959, 1960,
1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969;
(2) five Most Valuable Player awards, received in years 1958, 1961,
1962, 1963, and 1965;
(3) twelve All-Star designations, received in years 1958, 1959, 1960,
1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969;
(4) three All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, received in years
1959, 1963, and 1965; and
(5) an NBA Lifetime Achievement Award, received in 2017;
Whereas, in Game 7 of the 1957 NBA Finals between the Celtics and the St. Louis
Hawks, during the final minute of regulation, Russell, who scored 19
points and had 32 rebounds, hit a left-handed lay-up and then chased
down and blocked a shot in transition, forcing the first of 2 overtimes;
Whereas the Celtics won the game and championship in what fellow Celtics player
Tom Heinsohn called the ``greatest game ever'';
Whereas Russell was a player-coach for the Celtics from 1966 to 1969, making him
the first Black head coach in the history of the 4 major professional
sports leagues;
Whereas the strength, courage, and leadership of Russell extended beyond the
basketball court to the fight against racism and for civil rights in the
United States;
Whereas, in 1961, Russell led his teammates in a boycott of an NBA game in
Lexington, Kentucky, to protest racism and discrimination after a local
coffee shop refused to serve 2 Black Celtics players;
Whereas Russell marched with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during
the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom;
Whereas, in 1963, Russell offered support for demonstrations against segregation
in Boston public schools and addressed Black students taking part in a
sit-in;
Whereas, on June 4, 1967, Russell took part in the Cleveland Summit, where he
joined other prominent Black athletes to express solidarity with
Muhammad Ali's decision to refuse to join the Armed Forces upon being
drafted to fight in the Vietnam War;
Whereas, on February 15, 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United
States, stating that ``Bill Russell, the man, is someone who stood up
for the rights and dignity of all men. He marched with King; he stood by
Ali. When a restaurant refused to serve the Black Celtics, he refused to
play in the scheduled game. He endured insults and vandalism, but he
kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players,
and made possible the success of so many who would follow. And I hope
that one day, in the streets of Boston, children will look up at a
statue built not only to Bill Russell the player, but Bill Russell the
man.'';
Whereas, on August 11, 2022, the NBA announced that it will honor the life and
legacy Bill Russell by permanently retiring his uniform number, 6,
throughout the league, making Russell the first player to have his
number retired across the NBA;
Whereas Russell has earned the love, respect, admiration, and gratitude of the
city of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the United
States; and
Whereas Russell passed away on July 31, 2022, at age 88: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors the legendary life of William ``Bill'' Felton
Russell, a giant on and off the basketball court; and
(2) expresses sincere condolences to the family and friends
of Russell as the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, and the United States mourn with them.
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