Earl Holmes Bell (born August 25, 1955) is a retired American

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

er. He competed at the 1976, 1984 and 1988 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1984, placing fourth in 1988 and sixth in 1976. He also briefly held the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

in 1976, and coached several of America's leading vaulters during his retirement years. In 2002, he was inducted into the

National Track and Field Hall of Fame National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

Biography

Bell was born in Panama to William "Papa" K. Bell and Yola Zimmerman Bell. His father was a medical doctor, a Masters Record Holder pole vaulter, and attended the University of Arkansas. The family moved from Panama to

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro () is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, Craighead County. In 2023, the city had an estimated population of ...

in 1960. In 1973, Bell entered

Arkansas State University Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second-largest university in the st ...

. He graduated in 1988 with a BSc degree in accounting. While attending Arkansas State, Bell won the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

title in 1975–77. He also won the AAU championships in 1976 and 1984, placing third in 1981. In addition to participating in the Olympics, Bell won a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games and finished fifth in 1991. Bell came to the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials as the world record holder. At the trials, he lent his pole to David Roberts, who broke his pole. Roberts won the trials with a new world record, and placed third at the Olympics, while Bell finished second and sixth, respectively. Bell won the British

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

title at the 1981 AAA Championships.

Coaching career

After retiring from competitions Bell established Bell Athletics outside of Jonesboro, where he coached Jeff Hartwig, Derek Miles, Kellie Suttle, Daniel Ryland, and Jillian Schwartz, among other top pole vaulters. Bell is married and has three children: Drew, Sam, and Henry.

Rankings

Rare among vaulters, Bell managed to stay relatively healthy and productive for a long career, gaining US rankings among the best for 16 consecutive years in the ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includ ...

'' annual rankings.World Rankings Index — Men’s Pole Vault
Track and Field News

References

External links

Bell Athletics Training and Camps
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Earl 1955 births American male pole vaulters Arkansas State Red Wolves men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Living people Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) People from Jonesboro, Arkansas People from Panamá District Sportspeople from Panamá Province Track and field athletes from Arkansas World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists World record holders in masters athletics World record setters in athletics (track and field) Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen