Todd Bell
Encyclopedia
Todd Anthony Bell was an American football
safety in the National Football League
for the Chicago Bears
during the early 1980s.
, in Middletown, Ohio
as a very highly recruited and standout ball player, Bell went on to play for the Ohio State University
as a four-year starter at defensive back
. He played as a roverback, a hybrid of the strong safety and linebacker positions. His best remembered moment at Ohio State was a game-winning touchdown in his junior year against rival Michigan
on November 17, 1979. When Ohio State linebacker Jim Laughlin
blocked a punt by Michigan's Brian Virgil, Bell scooped up the football and ran it in 18 yards and a final score of 18-15. This play sent Ohio State to the 1980 Rose Bowl
and a shot at that year's national championship.
by the Chicago Bears
. He played with the Bears from 1981 to 1984, earning a Pro Bowl nomination in his fourth year. Bell was known on the team for his hits on opposing team players, and for his off-the-field reputation as a prankster. Bell sat out the entire 1985 season due to a contract dispute with the team - and missed being part of one of the most dominating Super Bowl teams of all time. His replacement, Dave Duerson
, also went on to be selected for the Pro Bowl that year.
Bell returned in 1986, but a hamstring injury and the contract dispute still lingered over his tenure with the Bears, and he signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles
in the off-season in 1988. He played two years with the Eagles before he broke his leg in a 31-13 loss to the Chicago Bears
on Monday Night Football
on October 2, 1989, which prematurely ended his career.
while driving his car in Reynoldsburg, Ohio
. He was 46. His wife Daphne now speaks to people on learning how to detect if they are at risk of having a heart attack.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
safety in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
during the early 1980s.
College
After graduating from Middletown High SchoolMiddletown High School (Ohio)
Middletown High School is a public high school in Middletown, Ohio. It is the only public high school in the Middletown City School District.-Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships:...
, in Middletown, Ohio
Middletown, Ohio
Middletown is an All-America City located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Formerly in Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships, Middletown was incorporated by the Ohio General Assembly on February 11, 1833, and became a city in 1886...
as a very highly recruited and standout ball player, Bell went on to play for the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
as a four-year starter at defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
. He played as a roverback, a hybrid of the strong safety and linebacker positions. His best remembered moment at Ohio State was a game-winning touchdown in his junior year against rival Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
on November 17, 1979. When Ohio State linebacker Jim Laughlin
Jim Laughlin
Jim Laughlin is a former NFL and college football player. Graduate of Charles F. Brush High school in 1976.The eighth pick in the 4th round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, Laughlin, was one in a long line of standout Linebackers to have played for the Ohio State Buckeyes.-Career...
blocked a punt by Michigan's Brian Virgil, Bell scooped up the football and ran it in 18 yards and a final score of 18-15. This play sent Ohio State to the 1980 Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
and a shot at that year's national championship.
Professional career
Bell was selected in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL Draft1981 NFL Draft
The 1981 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981...
by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played with the Bears from 1981 to 1984, earning a Pro Bowl nomination in his fourth year. Bell was known on the team for his hits on opposing team players, and for his off-the-field reputation as a prankster. Bell sat out the entire 1985 season due to a contract dispute with the team - and missed being part of one of the most dominating Super Bowl teams of all time. His replacement, Dave Duerson
Dave Duerson
David Russell Duerson was an American football safety in the National Football League who played for the Chicago Bears , the New York Giants , and the Phoenix Cardinals .-Early life:...
, also went on to be selected for the Pro Bowl that year.
Bell returned in 1986, but a hamstring injury and the contract dispute still lingered over his tenure with the Bears, and he signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the off-season in 1988. He played two years with the Eagles before he broke his leg in a 31-13 loss to the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
on October 2, 1989, which prematurely ended his career.
Death
On March 16, 2005, Bell suffered a fatal heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while driving his car in Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield, Franklin, and Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area...
. He was 46. His wife Daphne now speaks to people on learning how to detect if they are at risk of having a heart attack.
Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male
In 1997 Todd Bell returned to The Ohio State University to accept a position as Coordinator of the Minority Continuing Education Opportunities Program in the Office of Continuing Education, then lodged in University College. There he worked with Dean Mac Stewart to give leadership to outreach with the central Ohio community. He fostered cooperation with local businesses to provide funding for their employees to start or return to college studies at OSU. He also worked with the personnel of local Boys & Girls Clubs to develop joint ventures to improve the environment of the neighborhoods near the central campus. In 2001 he moved to the Office of Minority Affairs where he coordinated a broad range of community-university programs. Notably, on campus he gave initial leadership to the development of the Black Male Initiative to improve the campus environment, academic achievement, and leadership development of African American males at The Ohio State University and he was part of the team that developed the African American Male Resource Center. When Todd died in 2005, the center was renamed to The Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male to honor his work at the university and with African American male students.External links
- Hard-hitting ex-Bear Bell dies of heart attack at 47 Brad Biggs, Chicago Sun-Times (March 17, 2005)