Kerwin Bell

Kerwin Bell

No. 12
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: June 15, 1965 (1965-06-15)
Place of birth: Live Oak, Florida
High School: Lafayette County High School Mayo, Florida
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
College: University of Florida
NFL Draft: 1988 / Round: 7 / Pick: 180
Debuted in 1991 for the Orlando Thunder
Last played in 2001 for the Toronto Argonauts
Career history
As player: Miami Dolphins (1988)* Atlanta Falcons(1988) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1989) Orlando Thunder (1991–1992) Sacramento Gold Miners (1993–1994) Edmonton Eskimos (1995) Indianapolis Colts (1996–1997) Toronto Argonauts (1998) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1999–2000) Toronto Argonauts (2000–2001) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only.
As coach: University of Florida (Graduate Assistant) (1990) Toronto Argonauts (OC) (2000–2001) Trinity Catholic High School (HC) (2001–2006) Jacksonville University (HC) (2007–present)
Career highlights and awards
SEC Player of the Year (1984) First-team All-SEC (1985) Honorable mention All-American (1985, 1986) University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame CFL East All Star (1998)
Stats at NFL.com
Career CFL statistics as of 2001
Pass attempts	1,560
Completions	2,588
Percent complete	61.0%
Passing yards	19,538
Passing TDs	101

Kerwin Douglas Bell (born June 15, 1965) is an American college and professional football coach and former player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), World League of American Football (WLAF) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) for fourteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Bell played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for four NFL teams, one WLAF team and four CFL teams. He is the current head coach of the Jacksonville Dolphins college football team that represents Jacksonville University located in Jacksonville, Florida.

Early life

Bell was born in Live Oak, Florida in 1965. He attended Lafayette County High School in Mayo, where he was the quarterback of his high school football team and earned the nickname of "the throwin' Mayoan."

College career

After graduating from high school, Bell attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played quarterback for the Florida Gators football team under coach Galen Hall from 1983 to 1987. Bell did not initially receive an athletic scholarship, but was a walk-on player who was initially the eighth quarterback on the Gators' depth chart. He saw no playing time as a freshman in 1983, and was redshirted by the coaching staff.

Bell received his chance to become the Gators' starting quarterback when all of the scholarship quarterbacks ahead of him transferred or were injured prior to the start of the 1984 season. Behind the Gators' outstanding offensive line, memorably dubbed "The Great Wall of Florida," and which included Phil Bromley, Lomas Brown, Billy Hinson, Crawford Ker and Jeff Zimmerman, and supported by fullback John L. Williams, halfback Neal Anderson and wide receiver Ricky Nattiel, Bell made the most of his opportunity and led the Gators to a 9–1–1 seasons in 1984, an SEC championship, and a near-the-top national ranking. However, due to NCAA infractions, the Gators' were ineligible for bowl consideration and their SEC championship was taken away. In 1985, now with a full scholarship, Bell led the Gators to a second consecutive 9-1-1 record. The Gators also finished with best-in-the-conference records of 5–0–1 and 5–1 in 1984 and 1985. Bell was the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year in 1984, an honorable mention All-American in 1985 and 1986, a first-team All-SEC selection in 1985, and the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award and a team captain in 1987. He finished his four-year college career with 549 completions on 949 passing attempts, for 7,585 yards and fifty-six touchdowns.

Bell graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1987, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.

Professional career

Kerwin Bell had a well-traveled football career. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round (180th pick overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft, but did not play for the Dolphins. He spent part of 1989 as the Buccaneers' third-team quarterback. He did play for the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football. He threw for 2,214 yards in 1991, but was a backup in 1992 when the Thunder went to the World Bowl.

He began a seven-year Canadian Football League career in 1993, with the Sacramento Gold Miners, part of the failed CFL expansion into the United States. As a back-up quarterback in 1993, Bell threw for 296 yards, but his passing production increased to 1,812 yards in 1994. Bell played for the Edmonton Eskimos in 1995.

In 1996, Bell landed a roster spot with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL, and in week 15 he entered the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Bell attempted five passes and completed all of them, throwing for 75 yards and a touchdown on the day. He never again threw a pass in a regular season NFL game, leaving him with the highest career passer rating of any quarterback in NFL history.

After spending the 1996 season with the Indianapolis Colts as a backup, Bell returned in 1998 with the Toronto Argonauts, and had his best professional year, throwing for 4,991 yards and completing 67.3 percent of his passes. He threw for 501 yards against Edmonton on September 26, 1998. Bell played in 1999 and 2000 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but would return to the Argonauts for part of the 2000 and the 2001 seasons. Bell passed for 8,811 career yards in forty-six regular season games in Toronto.

During his nine-season CFL career, Bell played in 126 regular season games, completed 1,560 passes in 2,558 attempts, and threw 101 touchdowns.

Coaching career

Bell's coaching career started in 1990, a year in which he was sidelined from his playing career while recovering from a knee injury. Bell spent the 1990 football season as a graduate assistant coach under Steve Spurrier in Spurrier's first season as head coach at the University of Florida. He resumed his playing career in 1991 and returned to coaching after retiring as an active player. Bell became the offensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts in 2001. Afterward, he accepted a job as the head football coach of Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Florida. After Trinity Catholic won the 2006 Florida 2B state high school football championship, Bell was hired as head coach of the Jacksonville University football program in 2007. In 2008, he was recognized as the Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after his Dolphins went 9–4 and won the league's championship.

See also

• Florida Gators
• Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
• Jacksonville Dolphins
• List of SEC Most Valuable Players
• List of Florida Gators football players
• List of University of Florida alumni

Bibliography

• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0794822983.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
• McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
• Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196x.