Felice Angelo "Felix" Russo (10 June 1926 – 15 February 2005) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He had a son, father-in-law, two sons-in-law and three grandchildren who have all played VFL/AFL football.
| Felix Russo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Felice Angelo Russo | ||
| Date of birth | (1926-06-10)10 June 1926 | ||
| Date of death | 15 February 2005(2005-02-15) (aged 78) | ||
| Original team(s) | Elwood CYMS | ||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1950–1951 | St Kilda | 14 (1) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1951. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Educated at De La Salle College, Russo captained his school to a premiership in 1944.[1] He was recruited to locally from Elwood. As well as playing for Elwood CYMS he also played some of his early football for Footscray Technical School Old Boys.[2][3]
Russo, who worked as a physical education instructor, debuted for St Kilda at the age of 23 in the 1950 VFL season.[3] Used as a wingman, he played eight games in his first season of VFL football.[3][4] In the 1951 season he made six appearances for St Kilda.[4]
Following his two seasons at St Kilda, Russo played with Victorian Football Association (VFA) club Sandringham. He won the club's best and fairest award in the 1953 VFA season.[5] Under the coaching of Tommy Lahiff, Russo captained Sandringham in 1954.[6][7]
Russo is of Italian descent. His father was born in Italy, as were his maternal grandparents.[8]
He is related to many past and present league footballers. His son, Peter Russo, was a member of two Hawthorn premiership teams and also played for St Kilda.[9]
One of his daughters, Bernadette, married Hawthorn player John Kennedy, Jr, who is the son of legendary Hawthorn coach John Kennedy Sr. John and Bernadette had a son, Josh Kennedy, who plays for the Sydney Swans.[10]
Another daughter, Jenny, also married a footballer, Richmond and South Melbourne defender Ray Ball.[11] Two of Ray's sons, Luke and Matthew, played in the AFL.[11]