Kendrell Alexander Bell (born July 2, 1978) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

and was selected by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in the second round of the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...

. In his first year with the Steelers, Bell was named

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Various entities present an NFL Rookie of the Year award each season to the top rookies in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL considers the (rookie) of the year awards by the Associated Press (AP) to be its official honor. Since 2011, th ...

. He later played for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

before retiring following the 2007 season.

Early life

Bell attended Lucy Craft Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia. He was a three-sport star in

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, and

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. In football, he was an All-State selection and won ''

Atlanta Journal ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'' All-South honors. In track & field, he was ranked fifth in the state in the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

as a senior.

College career

Junior college years

Bell attended Middle Georgia Junior College for two years. He was a two-time Super Prep JUCO 100 selection. As a freshman, he played fullback and finished the season with 689 rushing yards. As a sophomore, he garnered six sacks and 132

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, and helped lead his defensive unit to a No.1 ranking in the nation.

NCAA college years

Bell attended the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

and was a child and family development major and a

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in football. In football, he finished his career with 153 tackles (10 for a loss), four

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s, seven sacks, five forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

s, and two fumble recoveries.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

Bell started in all sixteen games for the Steelers during his 2001 rookie campaign. Bell would prove to be an excellent fit for the Steelers defense, notably due to his blitzing abilities. The Steelers finished the regular season with a 13–3 record, earning them the top seed in the AFC. Bell was voted the

AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year The AP NFL Rookie of the Year (ROTY) is an annual award presented by the Associated Press (AP) to the top offensive and defensive first-year players in the National Football League (NFL). Winners are selected by a nationwide panel of 50 members ...

, having accumulated nine sacks on the season. The Steelers defeated the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

27–10 in the AFC Divisional round at Heinz Field. The following week they went on to face the second seeded

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. Bell recorded eight tackles, a sack, and two passes defended. Despite his stellar performance, and a late 4th quarter comeback, the Steelers wound up losing the game 24–17. In 2002, Bell was injured in the first week of the season against New England. He missed the next four games before returning to play against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the season with 50 tackles (33 less from his rookie year), and four sacks. The Steelers finished with a 10–5–1 record and went on to face the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. In the 36–33 comeback win over the Browns, Bell recorded nine tackles but injured his knee in the final quarter and was listed as doubtful for the following week at Tennessee. He recorded just two tackles in the game versus the Titans before leaving due to injury in the loss. In 2003, Bell amassed 99 tackles and five sacks in a down season for the team. In 2004, knee troubles led to him not starting a single game on his way to making just nine tackles. In the 2005 off-season, the Steelers released him from the team. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and played three seasons with them, recording a total of 2.5 sacks.

Kansas City Chiefs

He then signed with the

, where he played 3 seasons. Bell was released following the 2007 season, after which he retired.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Kendrell 1978 births Living people Players of American football from Augusta, Georgia American football outside linebackers Georgia Bulldogs football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Kansas City Chiefs players American Conference Pro Bowl players NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners