{{Short description|Irish Gaelic footballer (born 1977)}} {{BLP sources|date=May 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox Gaelic games player | code = Football | sport = [[Gaelic football]] | image = | name = Mike Frank Russell | irish = Mícheál Prionsias Ruiséal | birth_date = 1977 | feet = 5 | inches = 11 | occupation = teacher | county = Kerry | province = Munster | club = [[Laune Rangers]] | clyears = 1995-present | clapps(points) = | clcounty = 2 (1 as sub) | clprovince = 2 (1 as sub) | clallireland = 1 (1 as sub) | sig = 1 | counties = [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] | icposition = Right corner forward | icyears = 1997-2009 | icapps(points) = 56 (8-130) | icprovince = 8 | icallireland = 5 | nfl = 4 ( 1 as sub) | allstars = 1 | clupdate = | birth_place = [[Killorglin]], [[County Kerry]] }}
'''Mike Frank Russell''' (born 1977) is an Irish Gaelic footballer. He plays [[Gaelic football]] with his local club [[Laune Rangers]] and was a member at senior level of the [[Kerry county football team|Kerry county team]] from 1997 until 2009.
==Early life== Born in [[Killorglin]], [[County Kerry]] in 1977, Russell was educated at Scoil Mhuire national school before later attending the Intermediate School in Killorglin. It was here that Russell's football skills were first developed and he became a key member of the school's senior team. In 1996, he captured a [[Corn Uí Mhuirí]] winners' medal as the Killorglin school captured the Munster colleges' title. An All-Ireland colleges' final appearance beckoned for Russell's side with St Patrick's of [[Maghera]] providing the opposition. Killorglin went on a goal scoring spree and proved more than a match for the point-scoring abilities of St Pat's. A 4-8 to 1-14 score line gave Killorglin the win and gave Russell an [[Hogan Cup|All-Ireland]] colleges' winners' medal.
Russell currently works as a teacher in Mercy Holy Cross primary school in [[Killarney]].<ref>[http://www.mercyholycross.ie/teaching-staff.html Mercy Holy Cross School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215115238/http://www.mercyholycross.ie/teaching-staff.html |date=2017-02-15 }} website</ref> In 2009, he married Sinead O'Brien in Killorglin.
==Playing career==
===College=== Russell attended the [[Institute of Technology, Tralee]] (ITT), where he lined out with the institute's senior football team and enjoyed some success. In the 1997–98 season, his side reached the final of the inter-varsities football competition. The [[University of Ulster]] provided the opposition on that occasion in [[Austin Stack Park]]; however, ITT won the game by 0-10 to 0-8, giving Russell a [[Sigerson Cup]] winners' medal.
===Inter-county=== Russell made his debut for Kerry in the 1997 season. He became a key forward for Kerry over the next decade, winning a total of five All-Ireland medals with Kerry. He was also selected for the All-Star team in 2000. He retired from inter-county football in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kerryman.ie/premium/sport/gaelic-football/end-of-an-era-as-mike-frank-retires-1801049.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120803050156/http://www.kerryman.ie/premium/sport/gaelic-football/end-of-an-era-as-mike-frank-retires-1801049.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 August 2012|title=End of an era as Mike Frank retires|publisher=[[The Kerryman]]|date=2009-07-01|access-date=2010-07-15}}</ref> Went to New York for summer 2009 to play for Roscommon New York who won the Championship
==Honours==
===Ireland=== *'''[[International Rules Series]]''' (1) ** 2001 (sub)
===Kerry=== *'''[[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]]''' (5) ** 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007; ** runner-up 2002, 2005, 2008 *'''[[Munster Senior Football Championship]]''' (8) ** 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007; runner-up 1999, 2006, 2008 *'''[[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League (Division 1)]]''' (4) ** 1996-97, 2004, 2006, 2009 (sub) *'''[[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League (Division 2)]]''' (1) **2002 *'''[[All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship]]''' (2) **1996, 1998 *'''[[Munster Under-21 Football Championship]]''' (3) ** 1996 (sub), 1997, 1998 (sub) *'''[[All-Ireland Minor Football Championship]]''' (1) ** 1994 *'''[[Munster Minor Football Championship]]''' (1) ** 1994
===Intermediate School Killorglin=== *'''[[Hogan Cup|All-Ireland Senior Colleges' Football Championship]]''' (1) ** 1996 *'''[[Corn Uí Mhuirí|Munster Senior Colleges' Football Championship]]''' (1) **1996
===Institute of Technology, Tralee=== *'''[[Sigerson Cup]]''' (1) **1997-98
===Laune Rangers=== *'''[[All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship]]''' (1) ** 1996 (sub) *'''[[Munster Senior Club Football Championship]]''' (1) ** 1995 (sub), 1996 *'''[[Kerry Senior Football Championship]]''' (2) ** 1995 (sub), 1996; runner-up 1997, 2003, 2004 *'''[[Kerry Under-21 Football Championship]]''' (1) ** 1995 *'''[[Kerry Minor Football Championship]]''' (1) ** 1995 *[[Kerry County Football League – Division 1]] (4) ** 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
===Awards=== *'''[[GAA GPA All Stars Awards]]''' (1) **2000
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ach|aw}} {{succession box |before=[[Mark O'Reilly]]<br />([[Meath county football team|Meath]]) |title=All-Ireland Senior Football Final<br />[[Player of the match|Man of the Match]] |years=[[2000 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2000]] (Drawn game) |after=[[Seamus Moynihan]]<br />([[Kerry county football team|Kerry]]) }} {{s-end}}
{{Laune Rangers Football Team 1996}} {{Navboxes |title=Kerry squads |bg=green |fg=yellow |list1= {{All Ireland Minor Football Champions 1994}} {{All Ireland Under 21 Football Champions 1996}} {{Kerry NFL Football Team 1997}} {{Kerry Football Team 1997}} {{All Ireland Under 21 Football Champions 1998}} {{Kerry Football Team 2000}} {{Kerry Football Team 2002}} {{Kerry NFL Football Team 2004}} {{Kerry Football Team 2004}} {{Kerry Football Team 2005}} {{Kerry NFL Football Team 2006}} {{Kerry Football Team 2006}} {{Kerry Football Team 2007}} {{Kerry Football Team 2008}} }} {{2001 Ireland international rules football team}} {{Navboxes |title=Awards |bg=gold |list1= {{2000 All Stars}} {{All Stars Young Footballer of the Year}} {{All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final Man of the Match}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Mike Frank}} [[Category:1977 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:All Stars Awards winners (football)]] [[Category:All Stars Young Footballers of the Year]] [[Category:Alumni of Institute of Technology, Tralee]] [[Category:Irish international rules football players]] [[Category:Irish schoolteachers]] [[Category:Kerry inter-county Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Laune Rangers Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Winners of five All-Ireland medals (Gaelic football)]]