Russo calls it a career; Legendary Portland hoops coach bows out after leading Bulldogs to a Gold Ball

Six decades after falling in love with the sport of basketball, Joe Russo is ready to take a step back.

Russo, a Hall of Fame coaching legend who will be forever synonymous with Portland's boys' basketball program, is stepping down after nearly four decades of sideline wizardry.

After months of speculation, Russo tendered his resignation letter to PHS athletic director Spencer Allen last Friday and Tuesday made his decision public.

"It feels strange because I've been thinking about this for a long time, but I never made the final push," Russo said, in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday night. "Now it's time. I guess I'm finally not coaching."

Russo, 69, who won 518 games during a 39-year coaching career, the final 36 seasons at his alma mater, still clearly has his fastball after leading the Bulldogs on an improbable run to the Class A state title last February, his sixth with the program, but he said that after a protracted internal struggle, he's ready to step aside.

"I couldn't figure out when to (retire) because I feel great," said Russo, who overcame a battle with cancer several years ago. "I've been on the tightrope all summer. One more year would have been easy, but then I'd be in the same spot again. It's time to let the younger coaches do it. Something was just telling me it was time."

A lifelong love affair

Russo grew up in Portland and became a basketball aficionado in the third grade.

"We moved from Middle Street to Munjoy Street and there was a hoop in the yard," Russo said. "I hadn't thought about basketball before but after that, I was either playing, coaching or studying it. I've done it for over 60 years."

Russo eventually played for the Bulldogs. His senior year, 1973-74, Portland went 18-0 in the regular season and reached the regional semifinals before losing to Westbrook.

Russo then played at the University of Maine-Presque Isle before getting into coaching and teaching.

Russo spent his first three years as a varsity boys' basketball coach with the Bonny Eagle boys, but went just 11-37 between 1987-88 and 1989-90.

Then, his alma mater beckoned, Russo answered the call and for over three decades, his teams contended for championships (see sidebar, below, for yearly records).

Russo reached 100 career losses before he got to 100 victories, but by the late-90s, the Bulldogs were knocking at the championship door and they broke through in 1998-99, going undefeated and capturing the Gold Ball by virtue of a 77-58 victory over Lawrence at the famed Bangor Auditorium, a place at the time that Portland-area schools rarely found success.

Portland gave Russo his second championship with another juggernaut team in 2004, as the Bulldogs survived the brilliant Ralph Mims and his Brunswick Dragons in an overtime epic, 69-63.

After losing to Bangor in the 2007 state game (56-39), it took until 2014 before Portland returned to the pinnacle, but it did so with another perfect team, beating Hampden Academy, 54-40, in the final.

The Bulldogs lost to Hampden Academy the following year on the big stage (70-50), then went back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, beating South Portland each time, the first in a double-overtime classic.

Portland suffered through three-win seasons in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 (a year shortened to nine games by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic), but slowly returned to contention.

After losing to South Portland in the 2023 state game, the Bulldogs lost to eventual champion Windham in the 2024 regional final and again in the 2025 semifinals.

Which set the stage for last winter.

Where Portland produced an unparalleled title run.

Unforgettable final chapter

The Bulldogs, who had to contend with injuries and other off-the-floor challenges, never put it together in the regular season, posting a middling record of 12-6, but when the tournament began, they were magical, trailing for only a few of the 160 game minutes.

Portland beat Falmouth in a preliminary round contest, then upset higher seeded South Portland, Sanford and Cheverus to win the region.

In the state game, versus Camden Hills and eventual Mr. Maine Basketball winner Nolan Ames, the Bulldogs were underdogs again, but they rose to the challenge one final time, pulling away for an emphatic 76-60 victory.

"(Coach Russo's) such an underrated coach, to be honest," said Loic Ramazani, one of the 2026 title team's stars. "He knows us so well. He told us we'd be special and he turned us into state champions."

"We had a great off-season and we had some plans," Russo said, following the state game victory. "Then, we got hit with injuries and other things happened and we couldn't put anything substantial together. We couldn't get our chemistry going. All the credit goes to the players because during that time, they stuck with it. I told them, 'They're not really losses, they're lessons. If we stick with it, it will work.' Then, slowly, the football guys got healthy and other players we lost came back and the chemistry took on a life of its own and the kids started to believe we could do this."

Russo could have pulled an Al McGuire and waltzed off into the sunset in the state game's aftermath, but what ensued was a long period of introspection.

"The program is very healthy and we have some great kids coming in and I didn't want to short-change them," Russo said. "I was starting to plan for the season, but I felt it was time to pass the torch. It's a 12-month-a-year job and a younger coach can do that."

High praise

Legendary coach Bob Brown, a member of multiple Halls of Fame, who capped his career by battling Russo in multiple high-stake games during his final stint at Cheverus, said in a podcast recorded last year that he fondly remembers the teams' battles, even if the Stags didn't come out on top in most of the biggest showdowns.

"I've often thought of going back and seeing how many we won and how many he won and I don't do it because of fear of failure," Brown said. "Joey's a coach I admire and respect and like. He's a Hall of Fame coach and a really, really good guy."

In the aftermath of Tuesday's announcement, Russo said he was bombarded by calls and text messages.

South Portland coach Kevin Millington, who went 1-2 versus Russo in state finals, was among many who had nothing but praise.

"Although I knew this was coming, it's still bittersweet," Millington said. "I'm happy for him and no one deserves it more to go out the way he did. He's a Hall of Famer, six-time champion and a countless time Coach of the Year, but he's still under-appreciated.

"His teams are always tough, disciplined and elite defensively. They make you pay for your mistakes. More importantly, his teams are always humble in victory and classy and respectful in defeat. They take after their coach.

"Joe is a friend and mentor to so many coaches around the state. He's always there to lend an ear. For me personally, he helped me navigate being a young coach when things seemed a lot harder. Over time, he became a great friend and one I'm grateful to have had the last 30 years."

Portland athletic director Spencer Allen, the last of several Bulldogs administrators during Russo's tenure, said that Russo stands alone.

"Joe has had a profound impact on countless Portland High athletes and will be sorely missed as the leader of boys' basketball in this city," Allen said. "There is no way to replace someone like him."

Allen added that the position will be posted and a comprehensive search to hire Russo's replacement will be conducted.

Legacy

Russo suggested that he might be spotted on the bench again, but not in a head coaching role.

His legacy long secure, Russo can walk away with pride, spend time in other pursuits and enjoy the myriad activities of his nine grandchildren.

If's not hyperbole to suggest that he'll never be forgotten.

And that he'll never forget his time leading the Bulldogs to glory.

"I was born and raised in Portland and got to coach my alma mater," Russo said. "When you win, you feel pride for your school, community and the kids because I was one of them. There was an extreme feeling of pride that I might not have had if I was part of another school system.

"I hope to be remembered as a players' coach. It's about them. I'll miss them. The kids worked hard and I got to share in their lives. I wanted the best for them on and off the court.

"I'm the lucky one. I got to coach at Portland for 36 years. I enjoyed the X's and O's. I had great support from the administration, parents and community. The years just flew by."

JOE RUSSO’S YEARLY RECORDS
** Denotes state championship
BONNY EAGLE
1987-88 4-14
1988-89 3-15
1989-90 4-14
PORTLAND
1990-91 14-6
1991-92 7-11
1992-93 9-10
1993-94 10-9
1994-95 13-7
1995-96 9-10
1996-97 15-4
1997-98 14-7
** 1998-99 22-0
1999-00 14-7
2000-01 12-7
2001-02 12-8
2002-03 16-4
** 2003-04 21-1
2004-05 17-3
2005-06 17-4
2006-07 20-2
2007-08 14-6
2008-09 15-7
2009-10 10-9
2010-11 12-8
2011-12 14-5
2012-13 15-5
** 2013-14 22-0
2014-15 19-3
** 2015-16 20-1
** 2016-17 19-2
2017-18 18-2
2018-19 11-9
2019-20 3-16
2020-21 3-6
2021-22 11-8
2022-23 16-6
2023-24 16-5
2024-25 10-10
** 2025-26 17-6
TOTAL: 518-257
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 9
STATE TITLES: 6

Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffersports@yahoo.com