Upton Bell is a former American football

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...

 executive. Upton is currently a talk show host and commentator at WCRN

WCRN

WCRN is an AM radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts, owned by Carter Broadcasting.The station broadcasts at 830 AM at a transmitter power output of 50,000 watts and can be heard from Maine to Providence, Rhode Island, and from Boston to Springfield, Massachusetts...

 Talk AM 830 in Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

. He is the son of former 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...

 commissioner Bert Bell

Bert Bell

De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...

 and Broadway actress Frances Upton

Frances Upton

Frances Upton was a Broadway actress and comedienne. She starred with Eddie Cantor in Whoopee! and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1928. She also had a featured role in the early talkie Night Work...

.

Football executive

Upton Bell's first job in football was as a $65-a-week dressing room attendant for the Baltimore Colts

History of the Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....

 in 1960. After working in the Colts' scouting department, Bell became the club's personnel director. His job included working in sales, publicity, marketing and with the NFL draft. During his early days with the Colts, his brother Bert Bell, Jr. was the team's business manager. His responsibilities included scouting and negotiating contracts with and signing of all college recruits. During Upton's tenure, the Colts were in one NFL Championship game and two Super Bowl Games, winning Super Bowl V

Super Bowl V

Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...

 in 1971 under new Head Coach Don McCafferty

Don McCafferty

Donald William McCafferty was an American football coach who, in his first year as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, led the team to a victory in Super Bowl V....

. Seventeen of the 40-man roster on that winning team were players drafted during Upton's stint as Personnel Director. Bell held the personnel director's job until he was hired to become the General Manager

General manager

General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

 of the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

 (then known as the Bay State Patriots) in 1971

1971 NFL season

The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...

.

At 33, Bell was the NFL's youngest General Manager. One of his first moves with the Patriots was drafting Jim Plunkett

Jim Plunkett

James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...

 with the first overall pick in that year's draft

1971 NFL Draft

The 1971 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1971.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...

. Under his leadership the Patriots improved from 2-12 to 6-8. Despite the improvement, Bell wanted to fire head coach John Mazur

John Mazur

John Edward Mazur is a former football player and coach who was a quarterback for the University of Notre Dame and also served as head coach for the New England Patriots from 1970 to 1972....

 and hire a coach of his own choosing. The team's board of directors agreed that if the Pats lost to the Baltimore Colts, Mazur would be fired. Jim Plunkett landed an 88-yard pass to Randy Vataha

Randy Vataha

Randel Edward "Randy" Vataha, , was a wide receiver who played seven seasons in the NFL.-College career:Vataha, a wide receiver, was one of Jim Plunkett's favorite receiving targets at Stanford...

 for a 21-17 Patriots win. The Patriots finished the following season with a 3-11 record and Bell was fired on December 5.

Bell returned to professional football in 1974 with the purchase of the New York Stars. Bell relocated the team to Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

 where the team was renamed the Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets (WFL)

The Charlotte Hornets were an American football team in the short-lived World Football League. They were relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, from New York City in the middle of the 1974 season.-History:...

. This venture would be short-lived due to the folding of the World Football League

World Football League

The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...

 in 1975. One of Bell's co-owners was Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer

Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...

.

Sports announcer

Starting in 1976, Bell began his media career by making guest appearances on programs such as John Sterling

John Sterling

John Sterling may refer to:*John Sterling , British author, subject of a life by Thomas Carlyle*John Sterling, character in Robert A...

's show on WMCA

WMCA

WMCA, 570 AM, is a radio station in New York City, most known for its "Good Guys" Top 40 era in the 1960s. It is currently owned by Salem Communications and plays a Christian radio format...

. In 1978 he became co-host of WBZ's

WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...

 "Calling All Sports" with newcomer Bob Lobel

Bob Lobel

Robert "Bob" Lobel is a former sportscaster for WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter...

. Other shows hosted by Bell include Sports Nightly on WHDH-TV

WHDH-TV

WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...

 (1979–1980), Sports Line on WEEI

WEEI

WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...

 (1980–1984), Sports Beat on WSBK-TV

WSBK-TV

WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...

 with Joe Fitzgerald, Bob Ryan

Bob Ryan

Bob Ryan is an American sportswriter for The Boston Globe. He has been described as "the quintessential American sportswriter" and a basketball guru and is well known for his coverage of the sport including his famous stories covering the Boston Celtics in the 1970s. After graduating from Boston...

, and Bob Lobel, the Will and Upton Show with Will McDonough

Will McDonough

William "Will" McDonough was an American sportswriter for the Boston Globe.-Biography:McDonough attended the English High School of Boston, where he starred in baseball as a pitcher and in football as a quarterback...

 on WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...

 (1984–1988), and New England Sportsphile in 1989.

During the 1989 and 1990 NFL seasons, Bell served as an interviewer for WBZ-TV during their Patriots pregame show and newscasts. Those Bell interviewed for WBZ include George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

, Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...

, Joe Montana

Joe Montana

Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...

, Pete Rozelle

Pete Rozelle

Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....

, Howard Cosell

Howard Cosell

Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...

, Don Shula

Don Shula

Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....

, Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders

Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...

, John Hannah, Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly

James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....

, Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing

Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...

, and Stephen King

Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...

.

Bell has also been a guest commentator on NECN and WBZ-TV's Sports Final.

Bell's first color commentary experience came at WSMW

WUNI

WUNI, digital channel 29, is the Univision television affiliate for the Greater Boston market. Licensed to Worcester, Massachusetts, the station runs general Spanish entertainment programs as well as news and information programming...

, where he called college football with Bob Fouracre

Bob Fouracre

Robert E. "Bob" Fouracre is an American sportscaster who currently calls football and basketball for the College of the Holy Cross. He is a 1956 graduate of Northboro High School, a 1958 graduate of the Cushing Academy and a 1962 graduate of the Cambridge School of Broadcasting....

 from 1978-1982. In 1983, Bell served as the color commentator for the Boston Breakers

Portland Breakers

The Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...

 Professional Football team on WNEV

WHDH-TV

WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...

 and ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 and was the studio host for SportsChannel New England's Breakers broadcasts. He was the color commentator for Boston College Eagles football

Boston College Eagles football

The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...

 radio broadcasts with play-by-play announcers Dan Davis

Dan Davis

Dan "The Duke" Davis is an American radio personality. He is an original broadcaster of ESPN Radio based in Bristol, Connecticut. He anchors the midday portion of ESPN Radio SportsCenter. Sometimes he makes comments on Extra Point. His voice is often heard introducing various ESPN programs...

 in 1985 and Bob Lobel in 1986. Lobel and Bell were removed from the BC broadcast booth after one season and unsuccessfully sued for "breach of contract, deceit, negligent misrepresentation". Bell was also a fill-in color commentator for SportsChannel New England's Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 games.

Nationally, Bell worked on PBS Ivy League

Ivy League

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

 football games alongside play-by-play announcer Dick Galiette and sideline reporter Sean McDonough

Sean McDonough

Sean McDonough is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN.-Early life and career:The son of Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, Sean graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. It was in Syracuse where McDonough began his broadcasting career in 1982 as the play-by-play announcer...

 in 1984.

Talk radio

Bell has also worked in general talk radio since 1988, hosting shows on WHDH

WEEI

WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...

 (1988–1989), WTAG

WTAG

WTAG is an AM radio station broadcasting on 580 kHz in Paxton, Massachusetts. WTAG programming is also simulcast on FM translator W235AV at 94.9 MHz, licensed to Tatnuck, Massachusetts...

 (1992–1998), WRPT/WMEX (1998–2000). He has interviewed George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

, Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger

Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...

, Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...

, Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Anne Ferraro was an American attorney, a Democratic Party politician, and a member of the United States House of Representatives. She was the first female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party....

, Regis Philbin

Regis Philbin

Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...

, Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt

Francis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....

, Jay Leno

Jay Leno

James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...

, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Jackie Mason

Jackie Mason

Jackie Mason is an American stand-up comedian and movie actor.-Early life:Born Yacov Moshe Maza in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, he grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City....

, Johnny Cochran and Alan Dershowitz

Alan Dershowitz

Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He has spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where in 1967, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history...

. For three consecutive years, the Upton Bell Show was recognized by The Associated Press for Outstanding Talk Show in New England.

In November 2010, Bell and Bob Lobel

Bob Lobel

Robert "Bob" Lobel is a former sportscaster for WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter...

 reunited with a Sunday morning program on WXKS

WXKS (AM)

WKOX is a radio station in the Boston radio market, licensed to Everett, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and carries a Spanish Hits format.- History :...

 1200 Radio in suburban Boston.