EASTON, Pa. – Bill Russo, who holds the record for most coaching wins on the Fisher Field sideline, passed away suddenly on Sept. 29.
 
A 1969 graduate of Brown University, Russo began his coaching career at his alma mater and was part of an Ivy League title run in 1976. His first head coaching stop took him to Wagner College from 1978-80 before he landed on College Hill in 1981.
 
With the program coming off a 3-7 campaign in 1980, Russo enjoyed immediate success, posting a 9-2 record in his first season followed by a 7-3 mark. Following that 1982 season, Russo was named the ECAC Coach of the Year and AFCA Kodak Coach.
 
In 1988, the Leopards captured their first conference title under Russo, winning the Colonial League championship with a perfect 5-0 mark in the league that was the precursor to the Patriot League. That season he was selected the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, the highest coaching honor bestowed at the FCS (formerly I-AA) level.
 
Russo followed with two more championships in 1992 and 1994 with each championship season resulting in his being named conference coach of the year. His final season at Lafayette was 1999 and he left with 103 coaching victories, the most of any Lafayette coach.
 
Russo was inducted in to the Maroon Club Hall of Fame as part of the 2007-08 class and was also a member of Brown's athletic hall of fame after a career as an All-Ivy League linebacker.
 
He then finished his coaching career with three seasons at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa. before retiring to Asheville, N.C.