Yeremiah Neavius Bell (born March 3, 1978) 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 ...
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
who played 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). He played
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 ...
at
Eastern Kentucky
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
* Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
* Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
* Eastern Air ...
and was drafted by the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in the sixth round of the
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
.
He also played for the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
and
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
.
Early years
Bell attended
George Rogers Clark High School in
Winchester, Kentucky
Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 18,368 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located ro ...
, where he was a three-year letterman in football as a defensive back and
wide receiver. He also lettered in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
as well as in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
, starting as a senior with former
Major League pitcher
Matt Ginter
Matthew Shane Ginter (born December 24, 1977) is a former American professional baseball pitcher.
After playing collegiately at Mississippi State, he started made his MLB debut in 2000 with the Chicago White Sox. He was signed by the Boston Red ...
.
Bell was not highly recruited while in high school, and without a full scholarship offer he began doing hard labor in a central Kentucky steel mill for $8 per hour.
College career
After two years of working in the
steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...
, Bell enrolled at nearby
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. As a regional comprehensive institution, EKU also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester and offers over 40 online un ...
and attempted to walk-on the
Eastern Kentucky Colonels football
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels football program represents Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in college football, through the 2020-21 season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), and competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship ...
team. Bell made the team, but contemplated quitting during two-a-day practices his freshman year. Eventually Bell would remain on the team and excel in the defensive backfield. In his three-year college career Bell was a finalist for the 2001
Buck Buchanan Award
The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football, and was first given in 1995 after the Walter Payton Award was d ...
as the Division I-AA Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named a 2001 All-American, two time All-Ohio Valley Conference safety (2000–01), and was the OVC defensive player of the year (2001). Before his senior season in 2002 Bell injured his knee in a pick-up basketball game ending his college career.
Awards and honors
* Eastern Kentucky Defensive Back of the Year (1999)
* 2x All-
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...
(2000, 2001)
* Eastern Kentucky Defensive Most Valuable Player (2000)
* ''
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
''
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n (2001)
* Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2001)
* Named to the
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. As a regional comprehensive institution, EKU also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester and offers over 40 online un ...
All-Century team as a Defensive Back (2009)
Professional career
Miami Dolphins
2003
Bell was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins and signed to the team's practice squad.
2004
Bell played in 13 games recording 10 tackles in primarily a special teams and reserve role before suffering a broken leg late in the season.
2005
In his first injury free NFL season, Bell played in all 16 games registered 21 tackles, three sacks, an interception, four passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. He finished second on the squad with 14 stops on special teams, where he also recovered a fumble. The initial interception of his NFL career came vs.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
(11/13) when he picked off a
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
pass in the fourth quarter, leading to a Dolphins touchdown six plays later.
2006
Bell earned a starting spot in Dolphins secondary. In his first season as a starter Bell has recorded 62 tackles, 2 sacks, and 11 passes defended. Dolphins defensive standout
Jason Taylor said of Bell, "The guy just makes plays, no matter if it's special teams, defense or whatever. He always makes plays for us."
2007
In 2007 Bell was a restricted free agent and he signed a tender that he received from the Dolphins. Bell was the starter at strong safety but suffered a torn
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...
in the season opener on September 9 that ended his season. He was placed on injured reserve on September 11. Bell finished the season with 5 tackles.
2008
After the 2007 season Bell became an unrestricted free agent but he did not receive much interest from other teams because of his torn Achilles tendon. The Dolphins re-signed him to a one-year, 1.4 million dollar contract on March 3. In 2008, Bell became a force to be reckoned with. He finished the season with 120 tackles, 1 sack, and three forced fumbles, & while he did not have any picks that year, his return from injury proved to be the stabilizing force in the secondary.
2009
Miami's leading tackler in 2008, and 2009, Bell signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Dolphins on the eve of free agency. The deal included $10 million in guaranteed money. He finished the season with 114 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 interceptions. In 2009 Bell received a Pro Bowl selection after
Antoine Bethea
Antoine Akeem Bethea (; born July 27, 1984) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for Howard and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round o ...
and the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
went to the
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
.
2010
In 2010, Bell started all 16 games, recording 101 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles with one recovery and one interception.
2011
After starting all games and recording 107 total tackles for the 2011 season, Bell was released after the season on March 19, 2012.
New York Jets
2012
Bell was signed by the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
on May 18, 2012 to a one-year $1.4 million contract.
Arizona Cardinals
2013
Bell signed with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
on March 13, 2013.
Retirement
On August 9, 2014, Bell announced that he would be retiring from the NFL.
Personal
Bell has a daughter, Yamia, born July 23, 2000, and a son, Brayden, born December 15, 2003.
References
External links
Miami Dolphins bioNew York Jets bioArizona Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Yeremiah
1978 births
Living people
People from Winchester, Kentucky
Players of American football from Kentucky
American football safeties
Eastern Kentucky Colonels football players
Miami Dolphins players
New York Jets players
Arizona Cardinals players
Ed Block Courage Award recipients