Former Minneapolis Central, Nebraska, NFL player Russell Gary dies at 59

March 12, 2019 at 4:33AM
Russell Gary
Russell Gary (Brian Wicker/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Concordia (St. Paul) assistant football coach Russell Gary, who played for Minneapolis Central High School, the University of Nebraska and eight years in the NFL, died Sunday, the school announced.

Gary, who graduated from Central in 1977, died of an apparent heart attack. He was 59.

"Coach Gary has been with CSP football since 2004, the past 15 seasons," Concordia coach Shannon Currier wrote in an e-mail. "Coach Gary was a special man that brought instant credibility due to his personality, All-Pro status, and the love he shared with the CSP football family. Coach Gary was loved by so many!"

Gary lettered in basketball, football and track at Minneapolis Central. In basketball, he was recruited by several Division I schools, including Indiana. At Nebraska under legendary coach Tom Osborne, he lettered three years in football as a safety and was an All-Big Eight selection in 1980, and he was inducted in the Cornhuskers Hall of Fame in 2013.

In April 1981, Gary was drafted by the New Orleans Saints, the first player taken in the second round (29th overall). In 1983, he was named All-Pro by UPI. After being waived by the Saints in October 1986, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He retired after the 1987 season.

Gary, who lived in Minneapolis, worked for the City of Minneapolis.

JOEL RIPPEL

New Orleans Saints? Russell Gary, left, is among the first to congratulate Chicago Bears? Walter Payton after Payton overtook Jim Brown's NFL rushing recoed during third quarter action on Sunday, Oct. 8, 1984 in Chicago. Payton finished the game with 154 yards on 32 carries, giving him 12,400 yards for his career, 88 more than Brown. The Bears won, 20-7. (AP Photo/Marcia Rules) ORG XMIT: APHS278907
As a Saints safety in 1984, Russell Gary was among the first to greet Walter Payton after the Bears great passed Jim Brown for the NFL rushing record. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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