It has been so hard to believe that 365 days ago today, Lion Nation lost a fan, a former player, a student of sports and sports writing, and a Lion of Old ET to the core.

Others lost a husband, a loving father, and I lost my best friend.

Russell McLean’s passing this time last year left so many of us shattered and broken hearted. It was almost like an energy that was there, a feverish love for our blue and gold warriors, and a respect for all great things about our institution and it’s hallowed traditions had been taken away from us. Russell McLean was the source of that energy. He was that energy himself.

When I think about all of the things that have transpired with the school over the past year, I can just see Russ and I in the trenches together. I could have seen him fighting like a Lion (no pun intended) to not have our name changed just because a chancellor who was drinking buddies with Rick Perry got a job and tried to uproot our identity. I can see him pumping his fist after the football team beat Northwestern State, avenging the embarrassing loss in 2022 where their cheerleaders and fans made fun of an injured player. I can see him being thrilled when we went back to our hollowed roots and became East Texas A&M University and everyone saying “Hail ET!” again for the first time in 2 decades, only to take down Stephen F. Austin and Russ’s distant relative, Colby Carthel, and I can see him with the enthused feeling after coming back from beating Houston Christian, and the “man, we had them!!” reaction dropping our final game to a very good Incarnate Word Team.

I can also see him being so happy about finally getting to see ground break for Lion Basketball and Volleyball in a new arena that it both needs and deserves. I can see him becoming a huge soccer fan for one day as the Lion Soccer team faced off with SFA in the tournament championship game, and he would be thrilled with the way that track season is going right now.

Russ however would have loved some other things even more. He would have loved to walk his daughter Shelby down the aisle to start her life with her husband. He would have celebrated like crazy when his son AJ closed on his first home and then shortly got married after that. He would have celebrated my promotion last March and my law school aspirations, and perhaps of all, he would have loved to have had the chance to get on Facebook and celebrate his 35th anniversary with his wife, Tiana, talking about what a real life wonder woman she is and how she has what every man should look for in a wife.

Russ would have loved it. All of it.

I have no idea why God decided to take Russ when he did, and in this life, I never will. Some things in this life we will never understand.

Before I started to write this, I was doing the dishes and had my music on my phone on. The song that came on was a gospel song that Elvis Presley recorded in 1967 and that most church goers are familiar with, called “By And By.” The lyrics made me think as the song played;

“Trials dark on every hand and we cannot understand
All the ways God will lead us
To the blessed promised land
He will guide us with his eye
And we’ll follow ’til we die
And we’ll understand him better by and by,

Temptation’s hidden snares often take us unaware
And our hearts are made to bleed
For some thoughtless word or deed
And we wonder why the test when we try to do our best
But we’ll understand it better by and by

By and by, oh, when the morning comes
They say that all the saints of God together at home
We will tell the story how we overcome
And we’ll understand it better by and by.”

One day, many of us will understand it. Russ is in that by and by right now. He understands it all because he is in that by and by. He knows no sorrow. He is with his Lord. He knows no pain, or loss, and every question that he ever asked about his beloved Mother, or teammates that he lost, or tragedies and disappointments have been answered, but they didn’t matter now. He is with his family that went before him, and he is truly living his best life.

As much as I wish he would be in the press box with me this Saturday, I have to say, he truly is in a better place. That place was reserved for him when as a teenager in Church he professed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Even though I selfishly miss him and wish he was here, he truly is the best place anyone can be.

That doesn’t mean so many of us don’t miss him. That doesn’t mean that wish he was here. We wish it more than anything. That is for sure.

Russ is now part of Lion lore. People will talk about him not for punting, or being all conference or all american, but they will remember him as a Lion to the core, one of the best of our pride. Russ loved history, and he is a part of history. He made history by becoming part of the first Lion Blog and podcast. He gained a following in his writing and breakdown of players and the other team’s strategy. He reached out to former players and their families, welcoming into the Lion nation. He now belongs to Heaven, but we preferred it when he belonged to us. That much is for sure.

One more thing is for sure about the past 365 days.

Russ would have loved them.