Former South Carolina head coach Richard Bell passes away at 88
Former South Carolina football head coach Richard Bell has passed away. He was 88.
Bell was regarded by many as a great person off the field and a strong defensive mind on it. He was a team captain at Arkansas under legendary coach Frank Broyles before getting into coaching.
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Bell, who coached for over 50 years, spent just one season in 1982 as the headman in garnet and black. However, he was the defensive coordinator for seven years prior to the promotion and led some quality units in Columbia.
Bell coached with eventual USC head coach Jim Carlen at Georgia Tech, West Virginia, and Texas Tech before coming to Columbia with him as his defensive coordinator. Following his exit from the Palmetto State, Bell spent time as the defensive coordinator at Duke, East Carolina, Georgia, Navy, and Air Force.
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While at Duke, he spent one year alongside future South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier. Then, at Georgia, he coached another eventual USC boss in Will Muschamp.
Following a brief retirement, Bell re-entered coaching at the high school level. He finished his time with a headset in 2017 with Prince Avenue Christian School at age 80.