Hiram College

Russell Burgess '61 was a four-year letter-winner in both cross country and track & field from 1957-61.

In cross country, he was voted Team MVP twice (1959 and 1960) and played an integral role in starting the Hiram cross country program in 1957. He finished third in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships in 1959 and 1960 and led the Terriers to a combined 18-2-1 record in 1959 and 1960.

In track & field, Burgess was named Team MVP in 1959. He captured the OAC title in the 2-mile run in 1960, crossing in a then school record 10:03. Burgess would go on to break his own school record in 1961 at the OAC Championships, taking second with a time of 9:56.

Burgess graduated from Hiram in 1961 and obtained his Masters Degree in Mathematics from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1967. He served as a high school and college mathematics teacher for 50 years, before retiring in August of 2011. He is also a member of a Barbershop Harmony Society Chorus called "The Voices of California", which is ranked in the top-15 on the international level.