Bobby Bell

Lore & Background

Bell was born on June 17, 1940, in the segregated city of Shelby, North Carolina. When he was six years old, he was asleep in the family home, owned by the textile mill employing his father, when it caught fire. His mother, Zannie Lee Bell, broke free from those trying to restrain her from going into the collapsing building, where she crawled on the floor to his bedroom and pulled him out to safety. Bell had a scar on his head from this incident the rest of his life.

Bell's father, Pink Lee Bell, worked in various jobs at the town's textile mill. Bell excelled in several sports at Cleveland High School in Shelby, where he was coached by John Winston in football. He was scouted by the Chicago White Sox for baseball at 16 years old, but his father wanted him to finish school. In his first two years of high school, he played six-man football, playing under center at the position of halfback.

During his junior year, his school converted to playing as an 11-man football team, where Bell played quarterback. He would receive All-State honors in football at both halfback and quarterback. Coach Jim Tatum of the University of North Carolina was interested in Bell to play football, but the school was segregated. Tatum contacted coach Murray Warmath at the University of Minnesota, where Warmath had been recruiting black players.

Tatum recommended Bell, and Bell went to Minnesota. At Minnesota, it was the first time he shared a classroom or dining table with whites. Bell was originally a quarterback, but Warmath switched him to the defensive line. Bell would also play offensive tackle and center.

Warmath said of Bell, "'He would have been a standout at any position; he was of maximum value to us at tackle.'" The Gophers with Bell had a record of 22-6-1, were the 1960 National Champions, played in the 1961 Rose Bowl, and won the 1962 Rose Bowl. He was a two-time first-team All-American (1961 and 1962) and the winner of the 1962 Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation's most outstanding interior lineman. In 1962, he was also named Lineman of the Year by the United Press and the Columbus Touchdown Club as well as Player of the Year by Coach & Athlete Magazine.

He also finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. Bell played superbly on defense in the 1963 Chicago College All Star Game, where the college players upset the defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers.

Reader's Guide

Bell was selected by the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL in the second round (16th overall), and in the seventh round of the AFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He surprisingly chose to join the Chiefs, where he would go on to play for 12 years, first in the American Football League from 1963 through 1969, and then in the NFL from 1970 through 1974. He met with Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt over ice cream on Minnesota's campus, and they agreed to a no-cut guaranteed contract, something the Vikings would not do; in addition to agreeing to a longer term of years than the Vikings offered.

In 1964, Bell was All-AFL as a defensive end, but in 1965, future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram moved Bell to outside linebacker. Stram moved Bell to outside linebacker for his speed to combat the Oakland Raiders' use of running back Clem Daniels as a pass receiver out of the backfield. Bell was then selected first-team All-AFL or All-NFL as a linebacker every year from 1965 to 1971 by the Associated Press, United Press International, the Newspaper Enterprise Association and/or The Sporting News.

Bell was an AFL All-Star for six consecutive years, 1964 through 1969, and then an NFL Pro Bowler for four straight years (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973). He was AFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1969. Bell never missed a regular season game, playing in 168 during his professional career. Bell was one of the first black outside linebackers in professional football.

The 1965 AFL All-Star Game was moved from New Orleans to Houston because the black and white players would not have been allowed to dine together in the same New Orleans restaurant. He was on two AFL Championship teams (1966 and 1969) and a World Championship team, losing Super Bowl I and winning Super Bowl IV. He was named to the first team All-Time All-AFL Team in 1970, along with teammates Jerry Mays, future Hall of Famer Johnny Robinson, Fred Arbanas, Ed Budde, Jim Tyrer, Paul Lowe and Jerrel Wilson on the first team, and future Hall of Famers Buck Buchanan and Len Dawson on the second team.

A total of six defensive players on the Chiefs Super Bowl IV championship team were selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Bell, Buchanan, Curly Culp, Willie Lanier, Emmitt Thomas and Johnny Robinson). Quarterback Len Dawson and kicker Jan Stenerud from that team are also in the Hall of Fame.