| Western Carolina Catamounts | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Head coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1965-06-15)June 15, 1965 (age 60) Live Oak, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Lafayette County (FL) | ||||||||||||
| College | Florida | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1988: 7th round, 180th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
As player
As coach
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||
| Career | 117–63 (.650) | ||||||||||||
Kerwin Douglas Bell (born June 15, 1965) is an Americanfootball coach and former player who has been the head coach of theWestern Carolina Catamounts football team since 2021. He played professionally as aquarterback for 14 seasons in theCanadian Football League (CFL),World League of American Football (WLAF), and theNational Football League (NFL) from the late 1980s until 2002. He then went into coaching, first at thehigh school level before moving to thecollegiate ranks in 2007.
Bell was born in the ruralNorth Central Florida town ofLive Oak and was a starhigh school footballquarterback atLafayette County High School. Though he led the Lafayette Hornets to their only state championship, he did not attract the attention of topcollege football programs while playing at the small high school. He enrolled at theUniversity of Florida, made theirFlorida Gators team as awalk-on, and wasredshirted during his freshman season of 1983.
Injuries to more experienced players just before the1984 season pushed Bell into a starting role for the Gators' season opening game against the defending national championMiami Hurricanes in what was one of the firstprime time college football broadcasts onESPN. He played well in his first collegiate appearance, throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass with under a minute remaining. Though Miami responded and scored the winning touchdown with seven seconds left, Bell's performance under difficult circumstances cemented his position as the team's starting quarterback. Even as head coachCharley Pell was fired mid-season due to NCAA rules violations, Bell and interim coachGalen Hall led the Gators to a conference-best 9–1–1 record, and he was named theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) player of the year. Bell played at Florida for four seasons and was named to several more All-SEC and All-American lists, before graduating in1987.[1]
Though he started dozens of games in the WLAF and the CFL, he never started an NFL contest and threw only five regular season passes in his NFL career. However, he completed all five of those passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, leaving him with the highest careerpasser rating in league history, albeit in a very small sample size.[2]
After retiring as a player, Bell returned to Florida and became a high school football coach, leadingTrinity High School inOcala to their first state football championship in 2005. He became the head coach atNCAA Division I (FCS)Jacksonville University in 2007 and led theDolphins to their first three conference championships during his nine seasons at the school. Bell moved toValdosta State University in 2016, and in2018, he led theBlazers to their first undefeated season and the NCAA D-II national championship on the strength of the highest scoring offense in college football.[3][4] Bell accepted the position ofoffensive coordinator for theSouth Florida Bulls under head coachCharlie Strong in2019 but was dismissed along with the entire staff when Strong was fired after the season.[5]
Bell became the head football coach atWestern Carolina in 2021. The Catamounts had not won more than three games for several seasons until Bell led them to their first winning record in six years in2022.
Bell was born inLive Oak, Florida inNorth Central Florida to Doyle and Zelda Bell and grew up in nearbyMayo, Florida, population 800.[6][7] His parents were tobacco farmers, and Kerwin helped with various farming tasks throughout his youth.[8] Bell attendedLafayette County High School, where he was the president of thestudent council and a multi-sport athlete, playingshortstop on the baseball team, leading the basketball team in scoring as a startingguard, and starting atquarterback on the football team.[6] In 1981, he led the Lafayette Hornets to their only state football championship, earning the nickname "The Throwin' Mayoan."[9][10]
Despite his prep success, Bell was lightly recruited during his senior year with noathletic scholarship offers from major football programs, as his rural high school had competed in the lowest division of Florida high school football and coaches were unsure if he could succeed against top collegiate talent.[6] Instead of attending a smaller college, Bell decided towalk-on at theUniversity of Florida in nearby Gainesville and join theFlorida Gators football team without an athletic scholarship. He was eighth on the Gators' quarterback depth chart during his freshman season of1983 under head coachGalen Hall and wasredshirted without playing in a game.[11][12]
Bell was the Gators' backup quarterback coming into the1984 season due to his consistent performance on the practice field and the fact that several quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart had graduated, transferred, or were injured. When senior starter Dale Dorminey suffered a serious knee injury four days before the Gators' first game, Bell was suddenly thrust into the starting role. The Gators opened the 1984 season against the defending national championMiami Hurricanes inTampa Stadium in one of the first college football games to be nationally televised byESPN. In his first collegiate start, Bell threw a touchdown pass with under a minute remaining to give the Gators the lead, only to have Miami quarterbackBernie Kosar lead the Hurricanes to a winning score with seven seconds remaining.[13][14]
The Gators would not lose another game during Bell's redshirt freshman season. Behind an outstandingoffensive line, memorably dubbed "The Great Wall of Florida," and which included Phil Bromley,Lomas Brown, Billy Hinson,Crawford Ker andJeff Zimmerman, and supported byfullbackJohn L. Williams,halfbackNeal Anderson andwide receiverRicky Nattiel, Bell led the Gators to a 9–1–1 record, an SEC championship, and a top-5 national ranking.
However, due to NCAA infractions committed under coachCharley Pell, the Gators' were ineligible for bowl consideration, and their SEC championship was vacated months after the 1984 season ended. In1985, now with a full scholarship, Bell led the Gators to a second consecutive 9–1–1 record. Though ineligible for the conference championship, the Gators finished with best-in-the-conference records of 5–0–1 and 5–1 in 1984 and 1985 and briefly held their first ever No. 1 ranking in the AP poll during the 1985 season.[15]
Due to the effects of ongoing NCAA penalties, the Gators' record slipped to 6–5 in1986 and 6–6 in1987, Bell's junior and senior seasons. A highlight of those campaigns was Florida's upset of the No. 5 and undefeatedAuburn Tigers in November 1986. Bell had injured his knee a month prior and did not start the game. But with the Gators trailing 17–0 in the fourth quarter, he entered the contest wearing a large knee brace and led his team to a dramatic 18–17 comeback win, capped with a last-minute touchdown pass to Nattiel followed by Bell himself "hobbling" into the endzone for a successful two-point conversion.[16]
Bell was theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year in 1984, an honorable mentionAll-American in 1985 and1986, a first-team All-SEC selection in 1985, and the recipient of the Gators'Fergie Ferguson Award and a team captain in 1987.[11] He finished his four-year college career with 549 completions on 949 passing attempts, for 7,585 yards and fifty-six touchdowns.[11]
Bell graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1987, and was inducted into theUniversity of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.[12][17] Among the top 100 Gators of the first 100 years of Florida football, the sportswriters ofThe Gainesville Sun ranked him the No. 26 greatest Gator of all time in 2006.[18]
Bell was drafted by theMiami Dolphins in the seventh round (180th pick overall) of the1988 NFL draft.[19] He played in two preseason games, completing 8 of 15 passes for 64 yards, but was beaten out byDavid Archer for the third-string quarterback job.[2]
Bell was picked up on waivers by theAtlanta Falcons, but did not play in their final preseason game, and was cut prior to the1988 NFL season. The Falcons later resigned him and he spent the rest of the season on thepractice squad.[2]
Although there was interest from theGreen Bay Packers (then coached by formerFlorida running backLindy Infante), Bell turned them down to return to his home state and join theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[2] Bell spent part of 1989 as the Buccaneers' third-string quarterback, but a serious knee injury ended his season and prevented him from playing at all in 1990.
In 1991, Bell got a chance to start with theOrlando Thunder of theWorld League of American Football. On March 25, 1991, he wore ahelmet cam during the team's season opener against theSan Antonio Riders onUSA Network.[20][21] He threw for 2,214 yards overall in 1991. Bell was the Thunder's backup quarterback in 1992 when the team went to theWorld Bowl.
Bell began a seven-yearCanadian Football League career in1993, with theSacramento Gold Miners, part of thefailed CFL expansion into theUnited States.[22] As a back-up quarterback toDavid Archer in 1993,[23] Bell threw for 296 yards, but his passing production increased to 1,812 yards in1994.[22]
Bell started 12 regular season games and two playoff games for theEdmonton Eskimos in1995.[22]
Ahead of the1996 NFL season,Lindy Infante was appointed head coach of theIndianapolis Colts, and he contacted Bell about joining the team as back up toJim Harbaugh. Bell accepted, and went 10 of 18 for 80 yards and a touchdown during the preseason, but another knee injury ruled him out for six weeks and his place was taken byPaul Justin. He remained on the roster as the third-string quarterback, and with both Harbaugh and Justin out injured, on December 5, 1996, he entered the game against thePhiladelphia Eagles.[2] Bell attempted five passes and completed all of them, throwing for 75 yards and a touchdown on the day.[24] He never again threw a pass in a regular season NFL game,[25] leaving him with the highest careerpasser rating of any quarterback in NFL history.[7] He was the Colts' third-string quarterback in1997, but did not play in a regular season game.[24]
Bell returned to the CFL in1998 with theToronto Argonauts and had his best professional year. He threw for 4,991 yards and 27 touchdowns and set a lead record with a completion percentage of 67.3%, earning him a spot on the CFL All-Star team.[26][22]
Bell signed with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers and again passed for over 4000 yards in1999.
Bell was injured early in2000 and was traded back to Toronto, where he remained until retiring after the2001 season.[22] Bell played for the Argonauts more than any other team in his career, passing for 8,811 career yards in forty-six regular season games with Toronto.[22] Overall, Bell played in 126 regular season CFL games, completed 1,560 passes in 2,558 attempts, and threw 101 touchdowns.[22]
Bell first coached in 1990, when his playing career was temporarily interrupted by a serious knee injury. Bell returned to the University of Florida while rehabilitating to serve as agraduate assistant coach underSteve Spurrier, who was in his first season as the Gators' head ball coach. Bell remained in Gainesville for only one season, as he resumed his playing career in the summer of 1991 with the Orlando Thunder of the WLAF. However, working under Spurrier and watching the "Fun 'n' Gun" offense in games and in practice would have a strong influence on Bell's future offensive philosophies. "The spacing and just the concepts of the routes and the rhythm of the system. That's almost perfection and that's what I try to obtain every day in practice," he said in 2019.[5]
Bell next coached in2001, when he served as the co-offensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts during his last season as an active player.[27]
After retiring as a player, Bell returned to his home state to become the first head football coach at brand-newTrinity Catholic High School inOcala, Florida, which fielded its first varsity team in 2002.[28] The program grew quickly under Bell, with the Celtics making the district playoffs in their second season.[29] In 2005, Trinity went 14-0 and won the Florida 2A state high school football championship on the strength of a prolific passing attack that produced 41 touchdown passes against 5 interceptions.[30] Trinity went undefeated for a second consecutive regular season in 2006 and lost in the state championship game, ending a 27-game winning streak.[29]
In 2007, Bell became the head coach of theJacksonville Dolphins, a non-scholarshipNCAADivision I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football program representingJacksonville University, a private institution inJacksonville, Florida.[31] In Bell's second season, the JU Dolphins went 9–4 and won thePioneer Football League (PFL) championship, and Bell was recognized as the PFL Coach of the Year and was a finalist for theEddie Robinson Award. The Dolphins won another PFL championship in 2010 with a 10–1 record.[32]
During his tenure at Jacksonville, Bell was rumored to be a candidate for coaching positions at major college programs and confirmed a 2011 interview for the offensive coordinator position with the Florida Gators.[33] Regarding other job options, Bell stated that he intended to build a "strong legacy" at Jacksonville University and would only leave for "the right situation".[32]
Despite compiling a 66–35 record and winning three PFL championships at a school that had only posted one winning season before his arrival, Bell's contract was not renewed after the 2015 season.[34] The school's administration announced that the decision was due to "philosophical differences" stemming from the fact that the school wanted to keep the non-scholarship football program as-is while Bell had publicly advocated for growing the program into an FCS power by offering scholarships.[35][36] After continuing on a non-scholarship basis for four seasons after Bell's departure, JU decided to discontinue its football program altogether in 2019.[37]
In January 2016, Bell was named the new head coach of theBlazers ofValdosta State University, a scholarship football program that competes inNCAA Division II.[38]
In2018, Bell led the Blazers to the program's first undefeated season (14–0) and the Division II National Championship.[39] The Blazers led D-II in scoring with 52 points per game and scored the most points inGulf South Conference history.[40]
In January 2019, Bell was named theoffensive coordinator for theSouth Florida Bulls by head coachCharlie Strong, who knew Bell from several stints as an assistant coach at the University of Florida.[5] Bell was given "total control" of the Bulls' offense, which had stagnated before his arrival.[5]
However, USF suffered through a disappointing 4–82019 season in which they lost five of their last six games, leading to Strong's dismissal. Incoming head coachJeff Scott opted to build a new staff, and Bell was dismissed along with the rest of Strong's assistant coaches on December 16.[41][42]
Bell was hired as the 14th head coach at Western Carolina on April 27, 2021.[43] InBell's first season, the Catamounts lost their first six games but won four out of the remaining five to finish the season with the program's best win total in five years. In2022, the Catamounts enjoyed their first winning season since 2017 with a 6-5 campaign, and in2023, they finished 7-4 and were ranked No. 23 in thefinal STATS poll for third time in program history and the first since 1983.[44]
Kerwin Bell married the former Cosette Odom in 1986, while they were both students at the University of Florida. The two had first met in kindergarten in their hometown of Mayo, and at the time of their marriage, Cosette was Florida'smajorette captain while Kerwin was the Gators' star quarterback.[6][8] Their son,Kade, joined his father's coaching staff at Valdosta State and was the primary playcaller during their national championship season in 2018. Kade later joined his father's staff at USF and Western Carolina before he was named the offensive coordinator atPittsburgh on December 10, 2023.[45]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AFCA# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Dolphins(Pioneer Football League)(2007–2015) | |||||||||
| 2007 | Jacksonville | 3–8 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 2008 | Jacksonville | 9–4 | 7–1 | 1st | LGridiron Classic | ||||
| 2009 | Jacksonville | 7–4 | 6–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2010 | Jacksonville | 10–1 | 8–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 2011 | Jacksonville | 7–4 | 6–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2012 | Jacksonville | 7–4 | 5–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 2013 | Jacksonville | 5–6 | 4–4 | 6th | |||||
| 2014 | Jacksonville | 9–2 | 7–1* | T–1st*[46] | |||||
| 2015 | Jacksonville | 9–2 | 6–2* | T–3rd* | |||||
| Jacksonville: | 66–35 | 52–19 | *Official record was 0–0 due to rules violations | ||||||
| Valdosta State Blazers(Gulf South Conference)(2016–2018) | |||||||||
| 2016 | Valdosta State | 8–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd | LNCAA Division II First Round | 18 | |||
| 2017 | Valdosta State | 5–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2018 | Valdosta State | 14–0 | 8–0 | 1st | WNCAA Division II Championship | 1 | |||
| Valdosta State: | 27–7 | 19–5 | |||||||
| Western Carolina Catamounts(Southern Conference)(2021–present) | |||||||||
| 2021 | Western Carolina | 4–7 | 4–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2022 | Western Carolina | 6–5 | 4–4 | 5th | |||||
| 2023 | Western Carolina | 7–4 | 5–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2024 | Western Carolina | 7–5 | 6–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2025 | Western Carolina | 6–3 | 5–0 | ||||||
| Western Carolina: | 30–24 | 24–13 | |||||||
| Total: | 123–66 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||