Richard Aaron Bell (born May 3, 1967) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

who played a single season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) with 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Early life

Bell was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and is a 1984 graduate of

John Muir High School John Muir High School is a four-year comprehensive secondary school in Pasadena, California, United States and is a part of the Pasadena Unified School District. The school is named after preservationist John Muir. History In 1926 the Pasadena ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. He matriculated at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

Football career

Bell was drafted by the

in the twelfth round of the

1990 NFL Draft The 1990 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990, at the Marriott Marq ...

. After appearing in eight games with the Steelers in 1990, he was left unprotected by the team under

Plan B free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

and was signed by 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. He was released by the Chiefs prior to the 1991 season.

Post-football career

He started his law enforcement career as a reserve officer with the Monrovia Police Department in 1995. In 1996, Richard was hired by the San Marino Police Department and was assigned to the Patrol Division. In 1999, Richard joined the West Covina Police Department Family. As a police officer, and later as a corporal, Richard served as a school resource officer, explorer advisor, and field training officer. In 2004, he was assigned to the detective bureau, first serving as the grand theft auto detective and later as a miscellaneous crimes against persons detective. In 2006, Richard was promoted to sergeant. He was assigned to the Patrol Division, the detective bureau, and the professional standards section. In 2010, Richard was promoted to lieutenant and was assigned to the Patrol Division, the professional standards section, the administrative section, and the detective bureau. In addition, Richard supervised the communications center. In 2013, Richard was promoted to captain and assigned to the Investigative Support & Services Division. Richard was promoted to chief in July 2019.

Personal

His son, Jered Bell, played defensive back for the

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...

References

1967 births Living people Players of American football from Los Angeles American football running backs Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Pittsburgh Steelers players John Muir High School alumni {{Runningback-1960s-stub