Hall of Fame
J. Russell Townsend, Sr. was a significant figure in the early days of. football at Coe College as an end and halfback on the 1905 and 1906 teams. In 1906 when Coe's record was 4-1-1, Mr. Townsend starred in the wins over Grinnell and Cornell. After coaching in Iowa and Wyoming high schools, he became athletic director and coach of football, basketball, and track at Wabash College, Indiana, where his teams regularly challenged the likes of Purdue and Notre Dame. Mr, Townsend left the coaching field and built a career in insurance with Equitable Life and later with his own company which specialized in pension and employee benefit programs. Even while in business he found time to purse his interests in sports. He was a Big Ten football official for 25 years and for 20 years he was referee of the Indiana State high school track meet. Always interested in youth, he organized Junior Baseball of Indianapolis, Inc., and was a founder of Camp Kiwanis, a Boy Scout camp. He contributed richly to Indianapolis community life as president of the Zoological Society, founder of the Life Insurance Institute at Purdue, organizer of the Indiana Officials Association and president of the Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis. Mr. Townsend died in 1969. In a long and successful career J. Russell Townsend exemplified the finest traits of character which reflected credit on himself and his alma mater. Thus, it is a particular pleasure to present his name for induction posthumously into the Coe Athletic Hall of Fame. October 25, 1974
