Dennison Writes Sooner Success Story

Russell Dennison | Senior | Football

NORMAN, Okla. -- The accolades senior fullback Russell Dennison entered the University of Oklahoma with aren't surprising. An All-State or all-district candidate in every sport he participated in, the 6-3 Weatherford native seemed to fit in nicely with the other top football players in the country.

However, most people do not know about the All-State award he earned his senior year of high school for creative writing.

Russell Dennison Bio & Stats | Dennison Photo Gallery

"Russ is very humble when it comes to his writing ability," according to his mother, Gail. "It is something his father and I are very proud of. Writing is a gift and his poetry and short stories are witty and entertaining."

Dennison's creative writing teacher in high school encouraged his creativity while his coach, Dennis Siefried, provided great guidance. The creative writing teacher did not care about spelling or punctuation. She just wanted him to write down what he was thinking.

His coach, on the other hand, helped Dennison become tough minded and inspired his work ethic.

Even though the OU senior is talented as a writer, his first love is still sports. On a typical afternoon during his childhood, Dennison wasn't watching TV or playing video games. Instead he was outside playing with his friends.

The Dennison family of four lived within three miles of Weatherford High School. On a normal day, Dennison and his friends would meet at the high school and play football on the football field or baseball on the baseball field. It didn't matter if he was at a friend's house or at the high school, Dennison loved to be outside playing.

"Russ was always outside playing," Gail Dennison said. "If he got dirty, he was happy."

An avid sports fan, Dennison had a hard time sitting still long enough to even watch his favorite teams on TV.

"I loved to watch sports," Dennison said. "But after about 10 minutes, I would have to go outside and emulate what I saw."

Growing up with a father who worked in the oil field, Dennison cherished the time he had with his dad, Fred. Playing catch was their bonding time, something they did a lot when Fred was home.

"Playing catch was our guy time," the senior fullback said. "We would converse and talk about friends, school and anything else going on. It was completely a bonding time, but at the same time we were both doing something we enjoyed."

Dennison's love for the outdoors increased as he grew up. While visiting family in Colorado and Wyoming, he fell in love with the mountains.

"I have limited experience in climbing, but a buddy and I climbed Wheeler Peak (the highest peak in New Mexico)" Dennison said. "Our goal is to climb to the highest peak in all 50 states."

Dennison is currently in his last year as a history major at OU. Post graduation plans are still undecided, but his father knows one thing he would enjoy doing.

"Russell has talked a lot about being a firefighter after graduation," father Fred Dennison said. "He is a very tender-hearted young man with a strong work ethic and a desire to help people."

"The idea of being a fire fighter in the Alpine environment has grown on me in college," Dennison said. "I like the idea of being able to come home at the end of the day knowing I have benefited society in some way."

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Sooner Spotlight by Amy Swan
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