Kendrell Bell
Encyclopedia
Kendrell Alexander Bell (born July 2, 1980) 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...

 linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

 in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...

. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...

. Bell was known for actually talking to his fans and not being "too famous" to interact with them.

Bell also played for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...

.

High school career

Bell attended Lucy Craft Laney High School
Lucy Craft Laney High School
Lucy C. Laney Comprehensive High School is a public high school located in the Laney-Walker district of Augusta, Georgia . In 1949, A. R. Johnson and Haines Normal and Industrial Institute came together to form what is now known as Lucy Craft Laney Comprehensive High School...

 in Augusta, Georgia. He was a three-sport star in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, and track & field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

. In football, he was an All-State selection and won Atlanta Journal All-South honors. In track & field, he was ranked fifth in the state in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....

 as a senior.

Junior college years

Bell attended Middle Georgia Junior College for two years. He was a two-time Super Prep JUCO 100 selection. As a freshman, he played fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

 and finished the season with 689 rushing yards. As a sophomore, he garnered six sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...

 and 132 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

, and helped lead his defensive unit to a No.1 ranking in the nation.

NCAA college years

Bell attended the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

 and was a Child and Family Development Major and a letterman in football. In football, he finished his career with 153 tackles (10 for a loss), four interceptions
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...

, seven sacks, five forced fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...

s, and two fumble recoveries.

2001 NFL Draft

  • Maximum Bench Press
    Bench press
    The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...

    : 430 pounds
  • Maximum Squat
    Squat (exercise)
    In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...

    : 550 pounds
  • Maximum Power Clean
    Clean and jerk
    The clean and jerk is one of the two Olympic weightlifting events .The clean portion of the lift refers to the lifter explosively pulling the weight from the floor to a racked position across deltoids and clavicles...

    : 342 pounds

NFL

Bell started all 16 games for the Steelers in his 2001 rookie season. He was an excellent fit for the Steelers defense, most likely because of his "blitzing abilities". The Steelers finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, earning them the top seed in the AFC. Bell was voted the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
NFL Rookie of the Year Award
Since 1967, the Associated Press has given two annual Rookie of the Year Awards to National Football League players: one for an offensive player and one for a defensive player. These two are often regarded as the "official" awards...

. The Steelers defeated their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...

, 27-10 in the AFC Divisional round, at Heinz Field. The following week they went on to face the second seeded 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...

. Bell recorded 8 tackles, a sack, and 2 passes defended. Despite his stellar performance, and a late 4th quarter comeback, the Steelers wound up losing the game, 24-17. In 2002, Bell was injured in week 1 of the AFC Championship Game rematch versus New England. He missed the next 4 games, but returned in week 7 to face the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night. He finished the season with 50 tackles, (33 less from his rookie year), and 4 sacks. The Steelers finished with a 10-5-1 record, and went on to face arch rival Cleveland. In an epic 36-33 comeback win over the Browns, Bell recorded 9 tackles but injured his knee in the final quarter, and was listed as doubtful for the following week at Tennessee. Although hurt, Bell started the game against the second seeded Titans. He recorded only 2 tackles before leaving the game once again with an injury. The Steelers lost 34-31. In 2003, Bell amassed 99 tackles and 5 sacks, despite the Steelers poor 6-10 finish. In 2004, Bell injured his knee yet again, and would not see the field until week 9. He played 3 games for the Steelers before he re-injured his knee in week 11 versus Cincinnati. In the 2005 off-season, the Steelers, (who went 15-1 in the regular season without Bell), released him from the team. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...

, where he played 3 mediocre seasons. Injuries prevented him from having the same impact he did in Pittsburgh. He was forced to retire in late 2007, due to another series of injuries.

External links

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