1979 Topps #546 Bill Russell
About Bill Russell
In 155 games in 1978 Russell collected 179 hits and batted .286. He went 7 for 17 as the Dodgers beat the Phillies again in the NLCS, then had 11 hits and a .423 average in the World Series, the best Series of his career, in a six-game loss to the Yankees for the second year running. Topps listed him with the Dodgers on #546.
Bill Russell played shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers through the Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes and Ron Cey years, and all 18 of his major league seasons, 1969 to 1986, came in a Dodger uniform. He appeared in 2,181 games, a club total topped only by Zack Wheat, and batted .263, the same average he posted in 23 World Series games. The Dodgers drafted him in the ninth round in 1966 out of Pittsburg High School in Kansas. The infield of Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey stayed together for eight and a half years. He was an All-Star in 1973, 1976 and 1980, wore number 18, hit .337 over five NLCS and played on four pennant winners, the last of them the 1981 champions. A Mike LaCoss pitch shattered his right forefinger in September 1980; after surgery he played on until his retirement. Tommy John called him the best shortstop who ever played behind him. Russell joined Tommy Lasorda's coaching staff in 1987 and became acting manager on June 25, 1996, the day after Lasorda's heart attack. Made permanent on July 29, he took the 1996 club to the wild card and went 173-149 before he was fired on June 21, 1998, ending a 30-year association with the club.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 83 | 0 | 19 | 37 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1979 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #526 Los Angeles Dodgers / Tom Lasorda
More Los Angeles Dodgers cards:
- #23 Terry Forster
- #50 Steve Garvey
- #75 Steve Yeager
- #104 Johnny Oates
- #128 Ted Martinez
- #145 Rick Rhoden
- #170 Don Sutton
- #190 Ron Cey
- #228 Vic Davalillo
- #255 Tommy John
- #279 Jerry Grote
- #290 Dave Lopes
- #318 Bob Welch
- #347 Doug Rau
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #546 card?
It is card #546 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill Russell of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-25.