DURHAM, N.C.—Following his retirement from professional soccer, former Duke standout Robbie Russell traded in his cleats for scrubs as he returned to school to pursue his goal of becoming a doctor. Nearly seven years later, Russell finds himself on the frontlines of fighting the CoVID-19 pandemic as an Emergency Room intern at a hospital in Charlottesville, Va.
At Duke, Russell was a two-time All-ACC first team selection and garnered second-team All-America recognition in 2000. In his four seasons as a Blue Devil, Duke went 64-16-3, won the 1999 ACC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times, 1998-00.