{{Short description|American sports coach, athletics administrator (1908–2004)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Russell Blunt | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1908|4|24}} | birth_place = Andover, Massachusetts, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|1|7|1908|4|24}} | death_place = Durham, North Carolina, U.S. | alma_mater = | player_sport1 = Football | player_years2 = {{Circa|1927–1929}} | player_team2 = Saint Paul (VA) | player_years3 = 1932 | player_team3 = Bluefield State | player_sport4 = Basketball | player_years5 = c. 1927–1930 | player_team5 = Saint Paul (VA) | player_years6 = 1932–1933 | player_team6 = Bluefield State | player_sport7 = Baseball | player_years8 = c. 1928–1930 | player_team8 = Saint Paul (VA) | player_positions = | coach_sport1 = Football | coach_years2 = c. 1938–1941 | coach_team2 = Southern (assistant) | coach_years3 = 1942 | coach_team3 = Florida Normal | coach_years4 = 1944–1945 | coach_team4 = McKinley HS (LA) | coach_years5 = 1946–1947 | coach_team5 = St. Augustine's | coach_years6 = 1950–1952 | coach_team6 = Saint Paul's (VA) | coach_years7 = 1953 | coach_team7 = North Carolina College (assistant) | coach_years8 = 1954 | coach_team8 = Florida Normal (assistant) | coach_years9 = 1955–1972 | coach_team9 = Hillside HS (NC) | coach_sport10 = Basketball | coach_years11 = 1942–1943 | coach_team11 = Florida Normal | coach_years12 = 1944–1946 | coach_team12 = McKinley HS (LA) | coach_years13 = c. 1946–1948 | coach_team13 = St. Augustine's | coach_years14 = 1954–1955 | coach_team14 = Florida Normal | coach_sport15 = Track and field | coach_years16 = 1940 | coach_team16 = Southern | coach_years17 = 1944–1946 | coach_team17 = McKinley HS (LA) | coach_years18 = c. 1946–1950 | coach_team18 = St. Augustine's | coach_years19 = c. 1954 | coach_team19 = North Carolina College | coach_years20 = 1955–1997 | coach_team20 = Hillside HS (NC) | admin_years1 = 1944–1946 | admin_team1 = McKinley HS (LA) | admin_years2 = 1946 | admin_team2 = St. Augustine's | admin_years3 = 1950–1953 | admin_team3 = Saint Paul's (VA) | admin_years4 = 1955–? | admin_team4 = Hillside HS (NC) | overall_record = | bowl_record = | tournament_record = | championships = | awards = | coaching_records = }} '''Russell Evans Blunt''' (April 24, 1908 – January 7, 2004) was an American football, basketball, and track and field coach. He served as the head football coach at Florida Normal and Industrial Institute (now known as Florida Memorial University) in Miami Gardens, Florida for one season, in 1942, Saint Augustine's College (now known as Saint Augustine's University) in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1947 to 1948, and Saint Paul's Polytechnic Institute (later known as Saint Paul's College) in Lawrenceville, Virginia from 1950 to 1952. Beginning in 1955, Blunt coached several sports at Durham, North Carolina's Hillside High School.
==Early life, playing career, and education== Blunt was born on April 24, 1908, in Andover, Massachusetts.<ref name=obituary>{{cite news |last=Armstrong |first=Elson Jr. |title=Coach for a lifetime |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/198560222/ |newspaper=The Herald-Sun |location=Durham, North Carolina |date=January 8, 2004 |pages=D1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/198560251/ D8] |access-date=May 30, 2026 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref> There he attended Andover High School, captaining the football and basketball teams.<ref name=headfloridanormal>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title="Russ" Blunt Gets Head Job At Florida Normal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-journal-and-guide/198561032/ |newspaper=Journal and Guide |location=Norfolk, Virginia |date=September 5, 1942 |page=14 |access-date=May 30, 2026 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref> From 1927 to 1930, Blunt studied at Saint Paul's College—then known as Saint Paul Normal and Industrial School—competing in football basketball, and baseball. He later played football and basketball at Bluefield State Teachers College (now known as Bluefield State University) in Bluefield, West Virginia for a year before settling at Saint Augustine's College (now known as Saint Augustine's University), at which ran competed in track for two years, and earned a bachelor's degree in 1936. Blunt received a Master of Education from Boston University in 1944.<ref name=staughead>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Russ Blunt Heads St. Aug's Sports |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-chicago-defender/198577057/ |newspaper=The Chicago Defender |location=Chicago, Illinois |date=July 29, 1950 |page=19 |access-date=May 30, 2026 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref>
==Coaching career== Blunt was an assistant coach at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for four years, ultimate serving as line coach for the football team. He was also Southern's head track and field coach for one year.<ref name=staughead/> In 1942, Blunt was hired as the head football coach at Florida Normal, succeeding Freeman W. Hinson.<ref name=headfloridanormal/> He was also the head basketball coach at Florida Normal in 1942–43. Blunt then spent two years coaching football, basketball, and track at Baton Rouge's McKinley High School before returning to Saint Augustine's in 1946 as athletic director and physical education department head.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Russell Blunt Heads Saint' Sports Set Up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer/198577796/ |newspaper=The News & Observer |location=The News & Observer |date=August 26, 1946 |page=9 |access-date=May 30, 2026 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref><ref name=staughead/> At St. Augustine's, he coached football and basketball for two seasons and track and field for four.<ref name=staughead/> In 1950, he went back to Saint Paul's as head coach and athletic director.<ref name=staughead/> Blunt left Saint Paul's in 1953 to join the physical education department at North Carolina College—now known as North Carolina Central University—in Durham. There he also assisted Herman Riddick in coaching the football team.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Russell Blunt Joins Staff Of NC Eagles |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/atlanta-daily-world/198617993/ |newspaper=Atlanta Daily World |location=Atlanta, Georgia |date=August 28, 1953 |page=7 |access-date=May 30, 2026 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref> The following year, he returned to Florida Normal as physical education instructor and coach. In 1955, Blunt was appointed athletic director and coach at Hillside High School in Durham.<ref>{{cite news |last=Casey |first=Elton |title=Nelson Higgins Quits Hillside |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-durham-sun/198562361/ |newspaper=The Durham Sun |location=Durham, North Carolina |date=June 1, 1955 |page=1D |access-date=May 30, 2026 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref>
Blunt served as the head football coach at Hillside High School for 18 seasons, compiling a record of 102–70–6 before stepping down from that post in 1973.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=Sammy |title=Blunt Closes Long Career |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun/198618918/ |newspaper=Durham Morning Herald |location=Durham, North Carolina |date=August 4, 1973 |page=6A |access-date=May 30, 2026 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}</ref> He won 17 state track titles at Hillside High (ten outdoor and seven indoor), including 118 of 120 dual meets in a 12-year span.<ref name="hof">{{cite web | url=https://ncshof.org/2023/01/russell-blunt/ | title=Russell Blunt | publisher=North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame | access-date=May 30, 2026}}</ref><ref name="Usa"/> In 1993, ''USA Today'' reported that the 85-year-old Blunt was the oldest active high school sports coach in the country.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/usa-today/198582453/ | title=Old Man Winner | work=USA Today | date=May 24, 1993 | access-date=May 30, 2026 | author=Brewington, Peter}}</ref> He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 for his track contributions.<ref name="hof"/> In 1997, Hillsdale won the indoor state track championship, making Blunt the oldest coach in the United States to win a state title.<ref name="Usa">{{cite web | url=http://www.usatf.org/news/showNewsnotes.asp?article=/news/newsnotes/2004-01-09.xml | title=Coaching legend Blunt dies at 95 | publisher=USA Track & Field | date=Jan 9, 2004 | access-date=May 30, 2026}}</ref> He retired after the 1997 season, and died on January 7, 2004, in Durham.<ref name="Usa"/><ref name=obituary/>
==Head coaching record== ===College football=== {{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = St. Augustine's Falcons | conf = Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association | startyear = 1946 | endyear = single }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1946 | name = St. Augustine's | overall = 3–1 | conference = 1–0 | confstanding = NA | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1947 | name = St. Augustine's | overall = 3–4–1 | conference = 0–2–1 | confstanding = NA | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = St. Augustine's | overall = 6–5–1 | confrecord = 1–2–1 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Saint Paul's Tigers | conf = Colored/Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | startyear = 1950 | endyear = 1952 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1950 | name = Saint Paul's | overall = 0–7 | conference = 0–7 | confstanding = 16th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1951 | name = Saint Paul's | overall = 0–8 | conference = 0–7 | confstanding = 16th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1952 | name = Saint Paul's | overall = 0–8 | conference = 0–6 | confstanding = 15th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Saint Paul's | overall = 0–23 | confrecord = 0–20 }} {{CFB Yearly Record End | overall = | bowls = no | poll = no | polltype = | legend = no }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{St. Augustine's Falcons football coach navbox}} {{Saint Paul's Tigers football coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blunt, Russell}} Category:1908 births Category:2004 deaths Category:American track and field coaches Category:Bluefield State Big Blues football players Category:Bluefield State Big Blues men's basketball players Category:Florida Memorial Lions football coaches Category:Florida Memorial Lions men's basketball coaches Category:North Carolina Central Eagles football coaches Category:North Carolina Central Eagles track and field coaches Category:Saint Paul's Tigers athletic directors Category:Saint Paul's Tigers baseball players Category:Saint Paul's Tigers football coaches Category:Saint Paul's Tigers football players Category:Saint Paul's Tigers men's basketball players Category:Southern Jaguars football coaches Category:Southern Jaguars and Lady Jaguars track and field coaches Category:St. Augustine's Falcons athletic directors Category:St. Augustine's Falcons football coaches Category:St. Augustine's Falcons men's basketball coaches Category:St. Augustine's Falcons track and field coaches Category:High school athletic directors in the United States Category:High school basketball coaches in Louisiana Category:High school basketball coaches in North Carolina Category:High school football coaches in Louisiana Category:High school football coaches in North Carolina Category:High school track and field coaches in the United States Category:Boston University alumni Category:Saint Augustine's University (North Carolina) alumni Category:Saint Paul's College (Virginia) alumni Category:People from Andover, Massachusetts Category:Players of American football from Essex County, Massachusetts Category:Baseball players from Essex County, Massachusetts Category:Basketball players from Essex County, Massachusetts Category:Coaches of American football from Massachusetts Category:Basketball coaches from Massachusetts Category:African-American coaches of American football Category:African-American baseball coaches Category:African-American college athletic directors in the United States Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen