| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1909-06-10)June 10, 1909 Polk County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | June 10, 1991(1991-06-10) (aged 82) Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1929–1931 | Ohio State |
| Position(s) | Tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1932–1933 | Howard (assistant) |
| 1934–1935 | Claflin |
| 1936–1942 | Florida A&M |
| 1946–1956 | North Carolina A&T |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1934–1936 | Claflin |
| ?–c. 1968 | North Carolina A&T |
| 1969–1975 | Fayetteville State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 112–48–17 |
| Bowls | 6–3–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2black college national (1938, 1942) 2SEAC (1934–1935) 3SIAC (1937–1938, 1942) 1CIAA (1950) | |
| Awards | |
| |
William McNeil "Big Bill" Bell Sr. (June 10, 1909 – May 10, 1991) was an American college football player and coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Claflin UniversityinOrangeburg, South Carolina from 1934 to 1935, Florida A&M University from 1936 to 1942, and North Carolina A&T State University from 1946 to 1956.[1]
After graduating from Ohio State in 1932, Bell was an assistant coach at Howard UniversityinWashington, D.C. for two years. In 1934, he was hired as athletic director and head football coach at Claflin.[2][3]
Bell married the former Henrietta Louise Lee of Charleston, South Carolina.[4]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claflin Panthers (Southeastern Athletic Conference) (1934–1935) | |||||||||
| 1934 | Claflin | 5–2–3 | 1st | ||||||
| 1935 | Claflin | 7–1–1 | 1st | ||||||
| Claflin: | 12–3–4 | ||||||||
| Florida A&M Rattlers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1936–1942) | |||||||||
| 1936 | Florida A&M | 2–4–1 | L Orange Blossom Classic | ||||||
| 1937 | Florida A&M | 7–1–1 | 5–0–1 | 1st | W Orange Blossom Classic, L Prairie | ||||
| 1938 | Florida A&M | 8–0 | 6–0 | 1st | W Orange Blossom Classic | ||||
| 1939 | Florida A&M | 6–2–1 | W Orange Blossom Classic | ||||||
| 1940 | Florida A&M | 6–1–3 | T Orange Blossom Classic | ||||||
| 1941 | Florida A&M | 8–1 | 5–1 | W Orange Blossom Classic | |||||
| 1942 | Florida A&M | 9–0 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange Blossom Classic | ||||
| Florida A&M: | 46–9–6 | ||||||||
| North Carolina A&T Aggies (Colored/Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1946–1956) | |||||||||
| 1946 | North Carolina A&T | 4–4 | 3–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1947 | North Carolina A&T | 3–4–1 | 2–4–1 | ||||||
| 1948 | North Carolina A&T | 4–4–1 | 4–2–1 | 4th | L Vulcan | ||||
| 1949 | North Carolina A&T | 7–2 | 5–1 | 3rd | W Orange Blossom Classic | ||||
| 1950 | North Carolina A&T | 6–2–1 | 5–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1951 | North Carolina A&T | 7–1–1 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1952 | North Carolina A&T | 6–4 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1953 | North Carolina A&T | 4–4 | 4–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1954 | North Carolina A&T | 4–6 | 2–5 | 11th | |||||
| 1955 | North Carolina A&T | 4–1–3 | 4–1–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1956 | North Carolina A&T | 5–4 | 3–3 | 9th | |||||
| North Carolina A&T: | 54–36–7 | 42–25–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 112–48–17 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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# denotes interim athletic director |
