Dean Bell, also known by the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

s of "Mean Dean", and "Deano", is a New Zealand former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer, and coach. A New Zealand international representative

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, he played his club football in England, Australia and New Zealand, but most notably with

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

, with whom he won seven consecutive

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

Finals, a

Lance Todd Trophy The Lance Todd Trophy is a trophy in rugby league, awarded to man of the match in the annual Challenge Cup Final. Introduced in 1945–46, the trophy was named in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was kill ...

, and a

Man of Steel Award The Steve Prescott Man of Steel Awards is an end-of-season awards dinner for the Super League rugby league competition. The event's name is taken from the main award presented, the Man of Steel award for the rugby league footballer of the year. I ...

. He later coached English club

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

for two seasons. He is a member of the famous Bell rugby league family that includes George,

Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name ( Yohanan, ') and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. This name is a po ...

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 19 ...

Glenn Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement i ...

, Cathy Bell and Clayton Friend.

Playing career

Bell began his career in 1979 playing for the

Manukau Magpies The Manukau Magpies are a rugby league football club based in Māngere, a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand, who compete in the Auckland Rugby League. The club was established in March 1912 after a meeting in Onehunga (where they were originally ...

in the

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond. ...

competition. In 2011 he was named Manukau's Player of the Century.''Superleague'', Volume 6, Issue 4, Edition 28 2011. Bell then moved to England in August 1982, playing for

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

and

over the next two seasons. Dean Bell played at in

' 18–10 victory over

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

in the 1983–84 John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1983–84 season at

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

on Saturday 14 January 1984. At the end of the 1983/84 season he joined Eastern Suburbs in Australia, playing 42 games for them over the next three seasons. In 1987 Bell was a guest player for the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

in a match against Auckland. In 1986 he joined

, where he was to experience his greatest success. While at Wigan, Bell became a Seven-time

winner (including three as captain), a Six-time

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

winner, a One-time World Sevens winner, a Five-time John Player Trophy winner, a Two-time Premiership winner and a Four-time Lancashire Cup winner. Dean Bell played at in

's 15–8 victory over

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

in the

1986 Lancashire Cup The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal ent ...

Final during the 1986–87 season at

Knowsley Road Knowsley Road is a former football stadium in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For ...

, St. Helens, on Sunday 19 October 1986, was a substitute in the 28–16 victory over

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

in the 1987 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1987–88 season at

, St. Helens, on Sunday 11 October 1987, played at and scored a try in the 22–17 victory over

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

in the

1988 Lancashire Cup 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

Final during the 1988–89 season at

, St. Helens on Sunday 23 October 1988, and played in the 5–4 victory over St. Helens in the

1992 Lancashire Cup Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno D ...

Final during the 1992–93 season at

, St. Helens on Sunday 18 October 1992. Dean Bell played at and scored a try in

's 18–4 victory over

in the

1986–87 John Player Special Trophy This was the sixteenth season of the rugby league League Cup, again known as the John Player Special Trophy for sponsorship purposes. Wigan won the trophy, beating Warrington 18–4 in the final. The match was played at Burnden Park, Bolton, Gre ...

Final during the 1986–87 season at

Burnden Park Burnden Park was the home of England, English association football, football club Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers, who played home games there between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting the 1901 FA Cup final replay, in 1946 it was the sc ...

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

on Saturday 10 January 1987, played on the in the 12–6 victory over

in the

1988–89 John Player Special Trophy The 1988–89 John Player Special Trophy was the eighteenth season for the competition (named as such due to sponsorship from John Player & Sons). Wigan won the final, beating Widnes by the score of 12-6. The match was played at Burnden Park, B ...

Final during the 1988–89 season at

on Saturday 7 January 1989, played at in the 24–12 victory over Halifax in the

1989–90 Regal Trophy The 1989–90 Regal Trophy was a British rugby league knockout tournament. It was the 19th season that the competition was held, and was the first staging of the competition since it was re-named the Regal Trophy. Wigan Warriors, Wigan won the fin ...

Final during the 1988–89 season at

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

on Saturday 13 January 1990, and played at in the 15–8 victory over

Bradford Northern The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. The club have won the League Championship six times, the Challenge Cup f ...

in the

1992–93 Regal Trophy The 1992–93 Regal Trophy was a British rugby league knockout tournament. It was the 22nd season that the competition was held, and was the fourth staging of the competition since it was renamed the Regal Trophy. Wigan defeated Bradford Northern ...

Final during the 1992–93 season at

Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...

on Saturday 23 January 1993. During the

1992–93 Rugby Football League season The 1992–93 Rugby Football League season was the 98th ever season of professional rugby league football in Britain. Sixteen teams competed from August, 1992 until May, 1993 for the Stones Bitter Championship, Premiership Trophy and Silk Cut C ...

Bell played at centre for defending RFL champions Wigan in the

1992 World Club Challenge The 1992 World Club Challenge match was contested by the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan Warriors, Wigan and the 1992 NSWRL season's premiers, the Brisbane Broncos. The match took place on Friday night, 30 October in Engla ...

against the visiting

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

. Bell also won the

in 1992 and the

in 1993. Bell was later inducted into the Wigan Warriors Hall of Fame. In 1994 Bell left Wigan, returning home to join coach

John Monie John Stephen Monie (born 6 October 1946) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He is probably best known for his coaching career where he won ...

at the new

Auckland Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

club. Bell became the club's first captain and led the team out in their inaugural match. During his career he captained

, the

, and the New Zealand national team.

Representative career

While playing in the

competition Bell made the Auckland side. In 1982, he played for

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

against Australia during the

1982 Kangaroo tour The 1982 Kangaroo tour was the fifteenth Kangaroo tour where the Australian national rugby league team played a number of matches against British and French rugby league teams, in addition to the Test matches. The Australia national rugby lea ...

. A year later, he toured England with the New Zealand Māori team before making his début for

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

that same year. In his début match he played alongside his uncle

Ian Bell Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsm ...

, and his cousin Clayton Friend. He went on to play 26 tests for

, retiring from international football early in 1989. Bell picked up several honours while playing for

, including being the

NZRL The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood '' ...

Player of the Year in 1987 and winning the NZ Māori Sports Personality of the Year in 1994. He was later made a member of the NZRL's ''Immortals'' and inducted as one of the

's ''Legends of League'' in 2000. He is an

Immortal.Stacey Jones, Auckland Rugby League Immortal
''est1995.co.nz'', 21 September 2003

Coaching and management career

Bell returned to Leeds in 1996 as coach but ended up playing in one match as

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

. He remained the first grade coach in 1997 before accepting a two-year job as the head of the academy team. During the 2000 World Cup he was the assistant Coach of the Aotearoa Māori side, working under his dad Cameron Bell.Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League'' In 2000 he returned to

to head the youth development programme for seven years before being appointed the

New Zealand Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

Development Manager in August 2007. Bell became the manager for the Warriors Under-20s side in the Toyota Cup, and at the end of the 2009 season Bell was promoted by the Warriors to be their new Recruitment and Development Manager. In 2008 Bell was made the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team () has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the Kiwi (bird), native bird of that name. The team' ...

football manager. In 2012 Bell was made the New Zealand Vodafone Warriors General Manager Of Football

Other achievements

Bell was also the feature of an episode of the show '' This Is Your Life''.

References

External links

*
Dean Bell Wigan Playing Career Page
on the Wigan RL Fansite''. *(archived by web.archive.org
Profile at ''leedsrugby.co.uk''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Dean 1962 births Living people Auckland rugby league team players Carlisle RLFC players Cumbria rugby league team players Lance Todd Trophy winners Leeds Rhinos coaches Leeds Rhinos players Manukau Magpies players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players New Zealand national rugby league team captains New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league administrators New Zealand rugby league coaches New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Warriors captains New Zealand Warriors players Rugby league centres Rugby league locks Rugby league wingers South Island rugby league team players Sydney Roosters players Wigan Warriors captains Wigan Warriors players New Zealand expatriate rugby league players in England New Zealand expatriate rugby league players in Australia