Bill Vilona

bvilona@pnj.com





Addison Russell Day at Pace High School

The students in Karl Jernigan's fifth-period Earth and Science class Tuesday at Pace High School settled into awestruck silence.

The door opened, Addison Russell walked in, took the first open seat and suddenly kids' faces were agape.

"It was priceless. And I didn't even know he was stopping by," said Jernigan, a teacher, multi-sport coach at Pace and former star baseball player himself at Milton High, who has known Russell since coaching him at 9-years-old.

Russell, 22, who five years ago was a student carrying big dreams, was honored with a variety of tributes Tuesday on Addison Russell Day at Pace. An overflow crowd filled the school's gymnasium for an assembly where the Chicago Cubs star shortstop addressed the students and embraced what his alma mater meant to him.

Addison Russell honored at City Hall, gets key to city

"Just to be able to share my journey with the teachers, the students has been a pretty cool thing," said Russell, whose baseball career was launched at Pace into its meteoric rise. "Just walking through the hallways and saying hello to principal (Stephen) Shell, my baseball coaches, puts a smile on my face.

"Because I was just a little kid just walking through these halls and just trying to get by high school, really. Luckily I have a talent that took me pretty far in life and I'm looking to improve that talent and stay in contact with all of these people back home."

Russell and his wife, Melisa, now parents of a 15-month-old boy, Aiden, along with family that included Russell's parents, siblings, relatives and close friends were greeted at a reception prior to the student assembly, which was held in the gymnasium. Russell's No. 27 jersey was retired, along with proclamations from various officials.

Students in Pace High's communications department put together a highlight video that included all of Russell big hits, big leaps, and big plays during the Cubs 2016 season and through the World Series where he hit a grand slam in Game 6 to help force a deciding Game 7 against the Cleveland Indians.

The video also included Russell's famous flips he did as a player at Pace, his freshman football season when he was a running back breaking big touchdown runs, even a senior skit where he showed off his dancing skills.

"These kids here now, they were either in middle school or elementary school when Addison was a senior," Shell said. "He's a celebrity figure to them. But he's the same now as he was then ... a special kid, a humble kid. He was the hardest working kid who was a great student and just someone who never changed."

Whether he's being interviewed or being honored, Russell carries a humility that has remained the same.

Editorial: Welcome to greatness, Mr. Russell

As all the awards and special feats were said about him during the assembly, Russell broke the crowd into laughter when saying, "I'm not really that fantastic to be honest. It just looks good on paper."

That's Russell. In a snapshot.

"When I look at him right now, he looks like the same guy who was here five years ago," said Pace athletic director Charlie Warner, who was the baseball coach during Russell's entire high school career when the Patriots won a state championship and reached the state final four in three of Russell's seasons.

"He's the same guy. He acts the same way. That is the coolest thing about him. He is still the same way," Warner said.

Pace is where it started, where the baseball foundation and his skills were developed.

Jernigan, a 1997 Milton graduate and three-sport athlete, became a star center fielder at Florida State where he hit a dramatic, 3-run homer in the 11th inning to lead FSU past Stanford and into the 1999 College World Series championship game. He's been a mentor during Russell's youth

All the years later, the closeness developed to where Russell called Jernigan late at night on April 21, 2015 — his voice cracking with nervous energy — to inform him he had just been summoned to the major leagues to join the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh.

"Being part of the Pace Patriots and being on varsity for four years. you are kind of put into the limelight early," said Russell, who helped Pace win the 2010 Class 5A state title and No. 1 national prep baseball ranking. "And I just embraced the limelight.

"It has given me the opportunity to come up big in clutch situations (as a pro) and enabled me to relax in those situations. You have to look back to whenever you were at your best and how did you perform?

"At Pace High School, they definitely set that platform. They molded me for that big stage."

Since returning home, where he will spend the off-season and work out before spring training, Russell and his family have felt all the love.

"I think I could hear of Pace screams from Chicago," he said, laughing. "You can't really beat the hometown feel, the type of warmth that Pace has and they have those type of people. It makes me look forward to coming back home every single year.

"It has been a crazy journey and it's only been four or five years ... and there is so much more to go."

Warner recalls how his coaching staff would marvel at the latest Russell feat during games in his high school career. They even had a familiar refrain, "What will Addy do next?"

"You never know," said Warner, smiling during the reception Tuesday. "But I can tell you, it won't surprise me, whatever it is."

Addison Russell's Day

Part of the honors bestowed on Pace grad Addison Russell on Tuesday.

• His No. 27 Pace High baseball jersey was framed and number retired

• His name placed in Congressional record Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller

• Made honorary member of Pace Chamber of Commerce

• Honored in Florida Legislature by Doug Broxson, Sen. District 1

• Honored by Santa Rosa County School District by Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick

• Pace High Principal Stephen Shell announcing day as Addison Russell Day, detailing his achievements

RELATED CONTENT

Addison Russell not only Pace connection to World Series

Moon: Local hero is a Chicago legend

Addison Russell widens hometown hero role

Addison Russell not only Pace connection to World Series

Pace grad Addison Russell humbled by superstar rise

Addison Russell honored at City Hall, gets key to city