The fourth annual RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner is set for Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport. The Voice of the Colonials and a 2012 inductee into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame, Chris Shovlin, will serve as emcee to induct six individuals who make up the 26th annual class.
 
In a special series leading up to the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner, veteran Pittsburgh sportswriter Joe Bendel takes a closer look at each of the inductees. Today's feature is former running back Myles Russ. For more information on how you can take part in the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner, please visit this link.
 
Moon Township, Pa. – If there was such a thing as The Mr. Colonial Award, Myles Russ would be an undisputed frontrunner.
 
This affable Boca Raton, Fla., native arrived at Robert Morris University a decade ago and made himself at home.
 
Not even the frigid Pittsburgh winters have soured this southerner.
 
Robert Morris is where Russ met his wife, Alexandrea, a former cheerleader whom he married in the campus chapel last year.
 
It is also where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a Master of Science degree in instructional leadership.
 
And, quite impressively, it is where Russ ran the football for more yardage (4,271) than any player in RMU history. His expertise in this area even landed him a job as the program's running backs coach before taking the same job, in addition to being recruiting coordinator, at Keiser University, an NAIA school in West Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this month.
 
To little surprise, Russ was voted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He will join five other inductees at a dinner on Feb. 24 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport.
 
"Robert Morris has done more for me than I can ever do for Robert Morris," said Russ, who led the 2010 squad to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time in program history. "They gave me my degrees. They gave me the opportunity to meet my future wife. They gave me a job doing something I love. This university has meant the world to me, so this is a great honor."
 
Despite a perceived size limitation at 5'8", 175 pounds, Russ loomed large when he tucked the football under his arm. Blending the styles of his two favorite backs, Barry Sanders and Warrick Dunn, he rarely absorbed a big hit while deliciously sidestepping wannabe tacklers from 2007-10.
 
He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his final three seasons, while also setting the school record for all-purpose yards with 4,651.
 
Funny thing is, statistics never drove Russ.
 
Winning did.
 
That's why his senior season was so rewarding. Sure, he was proud to have run for 1,363 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging more than 5.0 yards per carry for the third consecutive year.
 
But holding up that Northeast Conference championship trophy was his defining moment.
 
In the clinching game against Central Connecticut State, Russ maneuvered his way to 177 yards on 24 carries, including a 44-yard touchdown run. Nothing was going to stop him from carrying the Colonials into the FCS playoffs.
 
"You can gain all the yards you want, but to be the first team in the history of the school and the conference to make the playoffs, that was special," Russ said. "The best part is I got to do it with all of my brothers, all the guys I played with. When I look at the pictures of us and Coach (Joe) Walton holding up that trophy, nothing is better."
 
Russ paused, briefly, before amplifying his thoughts.
 
"It's kind of like getting into the Hall of Fame," he said, reflectively. "Yes, it's me going in, but it's almost like all of us are getting in on the first ballot. That's the way I see it."
 
Like most great competitors, Russ still feels the sting of a 43-17 loss to North Dakota State University in the first round of the FCS playoffs. The Colonials trailed by three early in the fourth quarter, thanks to a pair of Russ touchdowns, but NDSU went on a 23-point scoring spree that thwarted the Colonials' upset bid.
 
NDSU lost in the semifinals two weeks later, but went on to win the next five national championships. Russ jokingly says the Colonials triggered that run.
 
"I tell people that we started their dynasty," said Russ, who finished with 117 yards and two touchdowns against NDSU in his final collegiate game. "That game still hurts me, because it was close in the fourth quarter. But getting there and getting national exposure for the program also meant a lot."
 
In evaluating his success, Russ credited two men for helping him to reach maximum potential. One was his father, Greg, who coached him in every sport until he left for college. The other was former RMU running backs coach Sam Dorsett, a Florida native who recruited him out of Boca Raton.
 
He is indebted to both.
 
"As far as my dad goes, he was always there for me, always," Russ said. "He was like my big brother. He taught me everything. And Coach Dorsett, he was my mentor at Robert Morris. I really respected the fact that he never asked me to change my running style. He knew I was always looking to preserve my body and avoiding the big hits, and he accepted it. He made me really comfortable."
 
In an interesting twist, it was Dorsett who Russ surpassed on RMU's all-time rushing list. The two even discussed that possibility during a recruiting visit four years earlier. 
 
"I jokingly said to him, 'If I come, I'm going to break your record,'" Russ said, laughing. "But it was just talk, it was us having some fun. It's pretty cool that the joke became a reality. He's a huge reason why it did."
 
In another twist, Russ replaced Dorsett as RMU's running backs coach in 2012 when the latter left for another job. Russ recruited the Florida region for the Colonials while mentoring young runners, just as Dorsett did before him.
 
RMU's 2016 roster featured 11 Florida products.
 
"Coach Dorsett laid the ground work and I kept it going," Russ said. "I still text and call him today. He's always there for me."
 
One day, Russ would like to be the head coach of his own college team. He's also intrigued by the NFL after serving a two-week internship with the Buffalo Bills two years ago.
 
But Robert Morris will always hold a special place for Russ.
 
"I feel fortunate every day to have been part of the experience I had," he said. "As a player, student and coach."
 
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