Russell Maryland

Russell James Maryland (born March 22, 1969) is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cowboys first overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Early years
Maryland was born and reared in Chicago, Illinois, where he played high school football at Whitney Young High School.

College career
Maryland played college football at the University of Miami. In 1990, he registered 96 tackles and 10½ quarterback sacks for the Hurricanes, and won the Outland Trophy for the best lineman in college, beating out offensive linemen Joe Garten and Stacy Long.

Prior to his graduation from Miami, Russell was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the university. Russell was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

NFL career
Maryland was the first overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft, by the Dallas Cowboys, after the initial No. 1 prospect Raghib Ismail decided to sign with the Toronto Argonauts. Even though the Cowboys did not have the worst record in the league that year, they used a draft choice acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots to make Maryland the number one overall choice.

Championship Legacy
He played on two national championship teams in college and three Super Bowl championship teams in his NFL career.