Tony Russo was a stalwart right-handed pitcher and outfielder who played three seasons in the farm system of the St. Louis Cardinals with the Erie Cardinals (1987), Savannah Cardinals (1988) and St. Petersburg Cardinals (1989). In 1991, he played in the Florida State League for the Baseball City Royals, a farm team of the Kansas City Royals in St. Petersburg. From 1985 to 1987, Russo pitched for the Maritz Yankees in the St. Louis Metro Collegiate League. Russo played high school ball at McBride High and was captain and All-Conference. He also pitched for Meramec Community College, where he set a record of 19 strikeouts in a game against Jefferson College. In 1986, Russo pitched for the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He was named All-Conference at the University of Missouri, where he pitched in 1987. He defeated a powerhouse Oklahoma State team in Stillwater, which was ranked Number One in the nation and had a 51-game winning streak at home. Russo was an assistant baseball coach at Meramec under legendary coach Ric Lessmann. He also helped Lessmann conduct baseball clinics throughout the St. Louis area.