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. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

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 organization ...

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 The National Track and Field Hall of Fame is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field. It is located within the Armory Foundation (the former Fort Washington Avenue Armory) at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, b ...

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. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the f ...

in 1960. In 1973, Bell entered

Arkansas State University Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...

. 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 student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

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 David or Dave Roberts may refer to: Arts and literature * David Roberts (painter) (1796–1864), Scottish painter * David Roberts (art collector), Scottish contemporary art collector * David Roberts (novelist), English editor and mystery writer ...

, 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.

Coaching career

After retiring from competitions Bell established Bell Athletics outside of Jonesboro, where he coached

Jeff Hartwig Jeff Hartwig (born September 25, 1967 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American pole vaulter. Biography In 1998, Hartwig set two North American records with and . The latter was an improvement of 16 centimetres from his personal best of from 1997 ...

Derek Miles Derek Miles (born September 28, 1972) is an American pole vaulter, from Tea, South Dakota. A former pole vaulter for the University of South Dakota Track and Field team, Miles is currently an assistant coach for the Coyotes. In 2004, he placed se ...

, 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 is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runni ...

'' 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 University alumni 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 Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) People from Arkansas People from Craighead County, Arkansas People from Jonesboro, Arkansas People from Panamá District 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