Russell Bawden (born 24 July 1973 in Queensland) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s.

Bawden grew up playing rugby league in Mount Isa, making his first grade debut for Brisbane Broncos in 1994.

Failing to crack the Brisbane first grade team, Bawden moved to London Broncos in the 1995-96 off season.

During the 2000 NRL season, while playing for Melbourne, he was selected to make his State of Origin debut for Queensland.

In 2020, Bawden spoke to NRL.com about his time at Melbourne winning the premiership saying "I wanted it so bad that I swore off the grog for three months – and anyone who knows me knows what a massive sacrifice that was.