As a senior in high school, Paul Russell was mulling his college choices over dinner one night when the phone rang. UAM coach Tommy Barnes was on the other end. “We talked about hunting, fishing, faith, family, what I was having for dinner,” remembers Russell. “I felt like I was talking to my uncle. He never mentioned football. When I hung up the phone I told my Dad, ‘I know where I’m going to school.’ True story.”
Tommy Barnes knew a good lineman when he saw one. Paul Russell became one of the most decorated offensive linemen in school history, earning All-America honors twice as a center. A four-year letterman, Russell became a starter as a sophomore in 1992 and anchored the offensive line for the next three seasons.
Russell earned NAIA honorable mention All-America honors as a junior in 1993 while leading the Boll Weevils to the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championship, an 8-4 record and a berth in the NAIA Division I Playoffs. He was named a second team All-American as a senior in 1994 while becoming a two-time All-AIC selection. During Russell’s sophomore and junior seasons, he paved the way for both Undra Holman and Roy Watkins to both surpass 1,000 yards rushing.
Russell and his wife, Amy, a former UAM cheerleader, live in the Houston suburb of Kemah, Tex., where Paul works for a chemical company. The couple has two children.
