The Association for the Study of African American Life and History mourns the death of William Felton Russell. Russell is the winningest professional athlete of all time in team sports. He was the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty which claimed 11 NBA titles in 13 years, and one with him as player-coach, to become the first Black coach to win an NBA championship. He was a 12-time all-star and 5-time MVP, served as a General Manager of the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics, and led the University of San Francisco to the 1956 and 1957 NCAA titles. He was captain of the 1956 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympics team. But all of that alone, does not address his full impact and significance on sports and society. To fully understand his importance, his life must be framed in the context of his times. Perhaps in 2011, when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama was the full measure of his contributions revealed to younger generations of Americans, who were not yet born when he retired as a basketball player in 1969.