Once a teacher: Scott Russell is still delivering important lessons

Scott Russell wanted to be a school teacher. And he achieved that dream.

But when he got there, he realized it wasn’t exactly the kind of teaching he wanted to do.

So in the spring of 1984, he quit his job at West Hill Secondary School in Owen Sound, Ontario, and returned to the University of Western Ontario in London to study journalism.

A year later, he emerged with a master’s degree and also began a relationship with CBC that continues to this day, having become one of Canada’s most visible – and tireless – sports broadcasters.

How tireless is Russell? This year alone, he journeyed to Sochi for the Winter Olympics, then hosted CBC’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, then went back to Europe for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

It’s a workload that made him an obvious choice as the year’s outstanding broadcaster, as chosen by Sports Media Canada. He was presented with his award at a banquet on Wednesday in Toronto.

“I’m humbled to be in this company,” he said following the ceremony.

Despite all the kilometres Russell has racked up throughout his career – 2014 is by no means an anomaly – his passion for his job never flags. It’s obvious to everyone who knows and watches him.

“He’s so incredibly passionate, and it’s a sincere passion,” said Scott Moore, president of Sportsnet and NHL Properties for Rogers Media, and a former executive director of CBC Sports.

“He’s a great advocate for sport without being a cheerleader. I couldn’t be a bigger fan of his.”

Russell has always been active in athletics himself. A two-time competitor in the Boston Marathon, he was also coaching high school basketball in Owen Sound when he realized that classroom teaching just wasn’t for him after all.

“I decided that I wanted to be a teacher in a different way. I wanted to teach people about sport in the country,” he said.

When he arrived at Western to begin work on his MA, he realized that “everybody else wanted to be a political writer,” and he could have the freedom to cover sports at the university. He was fortunate to make a connection with Larry Haylor, who was then at the start of what would be a long and legendary tenure as Western’s football coach.

Haylor was generous with his time, and it fueled the flame that had already been lit in the budding reporter.

“It was the magic and the vibrancy of sport that just captured me. I loved it,” he said, smiling at the memory. “What wonderful stuff to write about and to broadcast about!”

It’s an attitude he has never lost through 12 Olympic Games, nine Stanley Cup finals and countless other assignments over his 29-year career.

A constant during that time has been Russell’s commitment to amateur athletics. He enjoys criss-crossing Canada, seeking out and telling the stories of athletes who dream of representing our country on the international stage.

“It’s the Olympic ideal,” he said. “When (Pierre) de Coubertin founded the Games back in 1896, it was a cooperation of the body, the mind and the will. De Coubertin always said, in the Olympics, as in life, it’s not the victory that matters most, but the struggle, the taking part.

“And so that to me is what’s so attractive about Olympic athletes and the way they perform, is that they struggle to live an Olympic life. Over time, they get to that culminating moment, which is the Games, where they succeed or fail for all the world to see. To me it’s a noble effort.”

Russell firmly believes that such an effort deserves an equally strong commitment in the storytelling. He remembers a producer telling him early in his career that a reporter should never meet a champion for the first time in the winner’s circle.

He refers to his reporting technique as “connecting to the field of play,” which means meeting an athlete on his or her level and experiencing their struggle.

“You should know their journey, every step of the way. I think that’s the only reasonable thing to do, if you’re attempting to tell a story and to bring it to a climactic moment. You have to know how those athletes got there, what sacrifices it meant for them and their families and all the people who supported them – the trials and tribulations that they’ve been through to get to that culminating moment.

“I think that’s really important and something that we should all keep in mind, because every time they haul on those Canadian colours, they represent all of us.”

Athletes repay Russell’s respect and admiration in spades. Adam van Koeverden, a kayaker who has won four medals in three Olympics, was honoured to have introduced Russell to the audience at Wednesday’s banquet.

“He champions our causes,” van Koeverden said. “We sometimes fight for headlines a little bit, and Scott always makes sure Canadians know what’s going on. He lives and breathes it. He doesn’t go home from work and do something else, he goes home and writes about amateur sport.

“He’s our king. He’s the champion of the champions.”

Russell jokes about such accolades, preferring to consider himself the educator he decided long ago that he really wanted to be.

“In many ways, I feel I’ve come full circle,” he said, smiling again. “I’m sometimes a lone wolf in this crowd, but I believe I’m teaching people about the importance of sport. So, I’m a teacher again.

“It’s been a really great ride. I’ve seen a lot of things, been a lot of places and met a lot of wonderful people. Storytelling in sport – there’s nothing like it.”