Richard Bell (born September 2, 1937) is an American former

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coach. His last job was as the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

Prince Avenue Christian School Prince Avenue Christian School (PACS) is a private, covenant Christian school located on 2201 Ruth Jackson Road in Bogart, Georgia Bogart is a town in Clarke and Oconee counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The town is mostly in Oconee County ...

Bogart, Georgia Bogart is a town in Clarke and Oconee counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The town is mostly in Oconee County, with a portion extending into Clarke County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,326. The 30622 ZIP code extends o ...

. He served as head football coach at the University of South Carolina for a single season, in 1982. After he graduated from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

, in 1962 Bell began his coaching career at VMI. From there he coached at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

as a defensive coach. On January 9, 1982, Bell was formally introduced as the 27th head coach in the history of the South Carolina program. Bell had previously served for seven seasons as the Gamecocks

under previous head coach

Jim Carlen James Anthony Carlen III (July 11, 1933 – July 22, 2012) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at West Virginia University (1966–1969) and Texas Tech University (1970 ...

. After a single season, Bell was fired by

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

Bob Marcum on December 1, 1982. From South Carolina, Bell served as a defensive coach at several other schools. These schools included

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

East Carolina East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its orig ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

. Bell retired as a collegiate coach after the 2006 season, after 42 years as a coach. After four years in retirement, Bell reentered the coaching world to serve as the defensive coordinator at

in 2010. He retired after the 2017 season.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Richard 1937 births Living people Air Force Falcons football coaches Arkansas Razorbacks football players Duke Blue Devils football coaches East Carolina Pirates football coaches Georgia Bulldogs football coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches Navy Midshipmen football coaches South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches Texas Tech Red Raiders football coaches VMI Keydets football coaches West Virginia Mountaineers football coaches High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) Players of American football from Little Rock, Arkansas