Russ Saunders was a fullback in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. He played with the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 during the 1931 NFL season

1931 NFL season

The 1931 NFL season was the 12th regular season of the National Football League. The league decreased to 10 teams due to financial hardships caused by the Great Depression. While the Cleveland Indians joined as an expansion team, the league lost the Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Newark Tornadoes...

.

He was an All-American at USC

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

 and was one of the models for the Tommy Trojan statue. He was MVP in the 1930 Rose Bowl

1930 Rose Bowl

The 1930 Rose Bowl was the 16th Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day 1930 in Pasadena, California. It featured the against the USC Trojans...

 when he led the Trojans to a 47-14 victory over the Pittsburg Panthers

Pittsburgh Panthers football

Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...

.

After playing football, Russ went on to a career in Hollywood. In 1938 he was nominated for an Oscar for best Assistant Director for The Life of Emile Zola

The Life of Emile Zola

The Life of Emile Zola is a 1937 American biographical film about French author Émile Zola. Set in the mid through late 19th century, it depicts his friendship with noted painter Paul Cézanne, and his rise to fame through his prolific writing, with particular focus on his involvement in the Dreyfus...

. He was assistant or Second Unit director on more than 85 films including PT 109, Hatari

Hatari

Hatari is an open source emulator of the Atari ST 16/32-bit computer system family.Hatari uses source code from several other emulators: WinSTon , UAE , STonX , Aranym ....

, Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace may refer to:*Arsenic and Old Lace , by Joseph Kesselring*Arsenic and Old Lace , a 1944 film adaptation directed by Frank Capra...

, High Sierra

High Sierra

High Sierra is an early heist film and film noir written by W.R. Burnett and John Huston from the novel by Burnett. The movie features Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart and was directed by Raoul Walsh on location at Whitney Portal, halfway up Mount Whitney.The screenplay was co-written by Bogart's...

 and production manager for Stripes, The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror: A True Story is a book by Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released between 1979 and 2005...

 and Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...

 among others. His first screen appearance was in the 1927 movie The Drop Kick

The Drop Kick

The Drop Kick was a 1927 silent film directed by Millard Webb written by Katherine Brush about a college football player who finds his reputation on the line when he pays an innocent visit to a woman whose husband kills himself. It was one of the early films of John Wayne who was only aged 20 in...

 in which the 1927 USC team appeared. In that film, Russ appeared along with John Wayne

John Wayne

Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...

-- a teammate from the USC team—and worked on many of Wayne's movies over the following decades.