Dan Russell is the founder, executive director and chairman of Wrestling for Peace, a non-profit that is continuing the Wrestling for Peace legacy originally established by National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member Steve Fraser and USA Wrestling.

He and his brother Joe, who received the Medal of Courage award from the Hall of Fame in 2007, were both presented the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award by the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2026.

Russell served as a USA Wrestling Ambassador for Peace from 2017-24, with a focus on engaging the US wrestling community in diplomacy and humanitarian efforts around the globe. Wrestling for Peace works to continue diplomatic and humanitarian efforts through partnerships with USA Wrestling, the Olympic Committee, United World Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Foundation, global wrestling federations, and international national governing bodies.

Wrestling for Peace annually partners USA Wrestling world teams with local federation teams at each of the world age-group championships, working alongside diplomats and community leaders to address basic human needs, raising awareness, supporting sports development, offering medical assistance, and more.

Wrestling for Peace and USA Wrestling are scheduled to host 16 global humanitarian projects leading up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Russell was a four-time NCAA Division II All-American and a two-time NCAA Division I All-American for Portland State University. He was named the outstanding wrestler and scored the most points at the NCAA DII tournament and helped PSU win the national team championship in 1989 and 1990.

In the first match that Pat Smith of Oklahoma State University wrestled, Russell pinned him. Smith would become the first four-time NCAA DI national champion and is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Russell was named PSU's outstanding wrestler four times and earned Academic All-America honors four times. An alternate for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Russell was a member of the USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Team from 1990 to 1996. He was a gold medalist in Greco-Roman at the 1995 Poddubny Tournament, one of only two Americans to win the tournament that is called the "Unofficial Champion of the World," and was a silver medalist at the 1991 Vantaa Paini Cup in Finland.

Russell was Guam's head coach for the 2004 Athens Olympics and Olympic Solidarity instructor/coach for Palau & Micronesia from 2000 to 2004. He was an assistant coach for PSU from 1992 to 1994, for Rampart High School from 1995 to 1999, and at the United States Olympic Training Center from 1997 to 1999.

Russell was a volunteer coach for USA Wrestling at 1998 Greco-Roman Junior World Championships, 1999 Greco-Roman Sweden Cup (1 gold and 1 silver medal), 1999 Greco-Roman Pan-American Games (2nd place with three gold and three silver medals), and the 2000 Greco-Roman Junior World Championships (one silver medal). He coached at the 2002 World Cup (5th place with one gold, one silver and one bronze medal) and at the 2003 Takhti Cup (Greco-Roman finished third with one gold medal while freestyle had one bronze medal).

A self-employed motivational speaker and clinician since 1986, Russell is a United States Wrestling Foundation board member and serves as the emcee for "Living the Dream Medal Fund" gala events.

He is a consultant for the Jordan Wrestling Federation.