<I>William “Bill” Russell Oral History Interview</I>
date: label: Date
content: May 12, 2013
name: label: Created by
content: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
label: Interview of
content: Bill Russell, American, 1934 - 2022
label: Interviewed by
content: Taylor Branch, American, born 1947
label: Subject of
content: University of San Francisco, American, founded 1855
label: Subject of
content: National Basketball Association, American, founded 1946
label: Subject of
content: Boston Celtics, American, founded 1946
label: Subject of
content: Major League Baseball, American, founded 1869
label: Subject of
content: Boston Red Sox, American, founded 1901
notes: label: Description
content: The oral history consists of eleven digital files: 2011.174.88.1a, 2011.174.88.1b, 2011.174.88.1c, 2011.174.88.1d, 2011.174.88.1e, 2011.174.88.1f, 2011.174.88.1g, 2011.174.88.1h, 2011.174.88.1i, 2011.174.88.1j, and 2011.174.88.1k.
label: Description
content: Basketball player William "Bill" Russell remembers his childhood in Louisiana and Oakland, California, in the 1940s. After winning two Final Fours with the University of San Francisco, he won an Olympic gold medal and an NBA championship playing for the Boston Celtics, one of thirteen Russell would win, including eight in a row. Russell had a difficult relationship with the sports media in Boston, but a better one with his Celtics teammates. He defends the organization as progressive on racial matters (as opposed to the Red Sox) and describes a post-retirement reconciliation with Boston that resulted in considerable Red Sox support for his mentoring organization and a statue of him, erected in 2013.
label: Description
content: LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0088
place: label: Place collected
content: Seattle, King County, Washington, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: San Francisco, California, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: American West
label: Topic
content: Athletes
label: Topic
content: Baseball
label: Topic
content: Basketball
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Education
label: Topic
content: Olympics
label: Topic
content: Race relations
label: Topic
content: Social reform
label: Topic
content: Sports
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1933-1945
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1945-1953
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1953-1961
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1961-1969
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1969-2001
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 2001-
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Civil Rights History Project
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
label: Movement
content: Civil Rights Movement
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2011.174.88.1a-k
objectType: label: Type
content: video recordings
label: Type
content: oral histories
label: Type
content: digital media - born digital
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: digital
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 3 hr., 7 min., 25 sec.
label: Dimensions
content: Total: 312.47 GB