Dell, who won a gold medal at the 1965 Summer Universiade in the men's doubles with Allen Fox, attended the University of Michigan from 1965 to 1969. A member of the varsity tennis team, Dell was the Big Ten Singles Champion in 1969. As he was beginning a law degree at the University of Virginia his number was called out in the Vietnam War draft. Following basic training, Dell became a squash and tennis coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point.