DETROIT (9/8/2021) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball program lost one of its all-time great players as Hall-Of-Famer Frank Russell entered eternal life on Monday, Sept. 6.

Russell was 72 years old. 
 
Inducted into the Titan Hall of Fame in 2020, he played three seasons with the Titans, tallying 1,188 points, which was the seventh in school history when he graduated.

He helped bring the Titans back to national prominence, taking the team from 7-18 in his first year to 18-6 as a senior with wins over Xavier, Boston College, Dayton and a crushing victory of number two and previously unbeaten Marquette. 

As a senior, he saw Marquette visit Calihan Hall late in the year at 22-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country, but Russell hit all seven of his shots from the field and finished with 16 points and the Titans routed the Warriors 70-49. 

In his first year as a Titan, he led the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game and upped that to 15.8 as a junior and 16.2 as a senior. 
 
He would go on to be drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the third round of the 1972 NBA Draft and played in 23 games during the 1971-72 campaign, scoring a career-high 11 points in a visit to Cobo Arena against the Detroit Pistons.

As a prep, he was tabbed Honorable Mention All-State, All-County and All-Saginaw Valley while at Pontiac Central High School. He started his career at Oakland Community College, where he was selected the school's MVP and broke the school record with 48 points in a game. 

After his career was over, he dedicated himself to helping the public and was a Youth Advisor for his hometown city of Pontiac before going on to attend law school at Texas Southern University.

After that, he founded The Youth Development Institute in Pontiac, where he helped plan, develop and implement programs and projects that are designed to help youth and adults reach their full potential.

He also worked in Oakland County in Human Resources for over 30 years and help foundered the Pontiac News in February 2007, dedicated to providing balanced news about the County of Oakland, the Region and the surrounding counties.

Final arrangements have yet to be announced.