Bobby Bell

Bobby Bell at NFL.com Robert Lee Bell, Jr (born June 17, 1940, in Shelby, North Carolina, is a former collegiate and pofessional American football linebacker/defensive end.

He excelled in several sports at a then-segregated Cleveland High School. At the University of Minnesota, he was named an All-American and the winner of the 1962 Outland Trophy and the nation's outstanding interior lineman. He joined Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans, via the Mu Chapter while at the University of Minnesota.

Pro Football Career

He played for the Kansas City Chiefs, first in the American Football League from 1963 through 1969, and then in the NFL from 1970 through 1974. Bell was an AFL All-Star for six consecutive years, 1964 through 1969, and then an NFL Pro Bowler for three straight years (1970-1972).

He was on two AFL Championship teams and a World Championship team. He was named to the All-Time All-AFL Team in 1970. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1980, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. The Chiefs retired his uniform number 78. In 1999, he was ranked number 66 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Bell was noted for his one-of-a-kind athleticism at 6' 4" and 230 pounds. Bell was possibly the most physically gifted linebacker in professional football history, for his speed at such a size made him ideal at outside linebacker. He was noted as one of the finest open-field tacklers in pro football history, and if he missed, he had the speed to make up for it. He scored 9 touchdowns in his career: 6 off of interceptions (26 in his career), 2 more touchdowns off of fumble recoveries, and one off of an onside kickoff return. Coach Hank Stram said that "He could play all 22 positions on the field, and play them well."

---

After his retirement, he opened Bobby Bell's Bar-b-que in Kansas City.

See also

• Other American Football League players

External links

• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
• Bell's Topps 1965 football card