Russ Anderson, the NCBWA's Associate Executive Director and an assistant commissioner and 25-year veteran at Conference USA, passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. The 2002 Wilbur Snypp Award winner, stalwart publicist and lover of all things baseball, is remembered by two of his colleagues from the association today:
NCBWA Executive Director Bo Carter:
The memories of Russ Anderson are too numerous and too wonderful to get on a couple of pages of a tribute to him. He thoroughly enjoyed working at the NCAA World Series every year from 1998-2019 before COVID-19 canceled 2020 college baseball. He had a penchant for great Omaha steaks, he was one of the best persons with regard to travel and accommodations I ever met, and he treated all people with utmost respect. When you needed something done or a solution to a certain challenge, Russ was the voice of reason. I cannot think of a better all-around great guy with college baseball, the bowls, NCAA events and so many aspects of college and conference athletics. He was so great in making arrangements for trips and events, we named his expertise RDA Travel. He knew his way around virtually every airport in the country.
NCBWA Associate Executive Director Mike Montoro:
I met Russ in 2000 when I first started as the director of media relations at Southern Miss. He was one of the first phone calls I received to welcome me to Southern Miss and to the league. Our friendship and professional relationship grew tremendously from there. We've had many conversations over the years, but you can count on them revolving around or always coming back to baseball, football and eating! The order was determined by the place and the conversation. Russ recruited me to join the NCBWA board in 2002 and from there, I worked with an outstanding professional who couldn't be outworked or who couldn't display more passion for college baseball than he. Russ had a lot of friends and made a tremendous impact on even more. He has left a legacy that is unmatched, and he will be missed tremendously. The NCBWA, Conference USA, and especially his friends and colleagues, lost an all-time great!
Related link:
• Tribute from Conference USA