Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion who spent much of his formative years in the Bay Area & won two NCAA Tournament Championships, passed away peacefully on Sunday at 88.

Russell leaves an enormous legacy as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and a key figure in the civil rights movement.

He only played varsity basketball in his senior year at McClymonds High School, having spent his junior year with the JV team.

He was the leading scorer on a squad that posted a 14-7 record in his sophomore year, then led the Dons to back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956

“Bill Russell helped put USF on the map in the 1950s,” said current university president Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald.