Gordon Bell ( American football ) Gordon Granville Bell ( born December 25 , 1953 ) is a former American football running back , kickoff returner and punt returner who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1973 – 1975 , and professionally for the New York Giants ( 1976 - 1977 ) and St . Louis Cardinals ( 1978 ) of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Bell was a two - time All - Ohio running back in high school and led Ohio ' s Troy High School to undefeated seasons in 1970 and 1971 . As a 16 - year - old junior , he rushed for 324 yards in a single game ; for the year he had 1 , 593 yards rushing and scored 146 points . As a senior in 1971 , he lost the Ohio AAA high school back of the year award to Archie Griffin . Bell played tailback for Michigan teams that had a combined record of 28 - 3 - 3 from 1973 – 1975 . As a junior in 1974 , Bell was a part - time player who started only three of Michigan ' s eleven games , but he still managed to become only the third player in school history to rush for 1 , 000 yards in a season . In 1975 , he set several single - season school records , including most all - purpose yards ( 1 , 714 yards ) , most 100 - yard rushing games ( eight ) , and most rushing attempts ( 273 ) . At the time of his graduation from Michigan , Bell also ranked second in school history in career rushing yards and third in all - purpose yards . Though Bell ' s records have been surpassed in more recent years , he remains one of the all - time rushing leaders in Michigan history . Despite his accomplishments , Bell played in the shadow of Big Ten Conference rival , Archie Griffin , who won back - to - back Heisman Trophies . In some respects , Bell exceeded even Griffin ' s accomplishments , as Bell won the 1975 Big Ten rushing championship . Bell played three years of professional football , but never made it into the starting lineup for an NFL team . In three NFL seasons , he had 1 , 444 all - purpose yards . His best NFL season was 1976 , when he had 784 all - purpose yards . Youth . A native of Troy , Ohio , Bell had attended Ohio State Buckeyes games with his father from the age of six . In high school , he was one of the top football prospects in Ohio . As a junior at Troy High School in 1970 , Bell gained over 1 , 593 yards , scored 146 points , led Troy High to its first unbeaten season ( 10 - 0 ) since 1957 , and was named to the Associated Press 1970 All - Ohio Class AAA high school first team . In the 1970 season opener , 16 - year - old Bell rushed for 324 yards and scored four touchdowns in a 54 – 6 win over Piqua High School . Afterward , Bell said , " All I can say is that my line was tremendous . " Piqua ' s coach said , " Our kids were on Bell from the start , but they just couldn ' t bring him down . " In October 1970 , Bell put on " one of the greatest one - man shows ever seen at Beavercreek , " scoring three touchdown s and rushing for 233 yards in 30 carries . The Beavercreek coach said afterward that the game ' s turning point came the moment Bell walked onto the field . As a senior in 1971 , Bell led Troy High to a 10 – 0 record . In the season opener , Bell broke off tackle and rushed 70 yards for a touchdown the first time he got the ball . He scored touchdowns in three of his first four carries , though one was nullified by a penalty . Bell rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener . The opposing coach said , " It was the same old story . We knew we had to stop Bell and yet we still couldn ' t do it . That boy is a great football player . " Bell again won first - team All - Ohio honors , but he lost the Associated Press 1971 Ohio AAA high school back of the year award . The award instead went to a high school senior from Columbus , Archie Griffin . Bell and Griffin would continue their rivalry in college . In 1971 , Bell also won the Piqua YMCA high school weight - lifting contest in the 165 - pound class . University of Michigan . Overview . Bell was recruited to the University of Michigan by assistant coach Gary Moeller . He was a relatively small player , standing tall , and weighing . He was sometimes referred to as Michigan ' s " mighty mite tailback . " In addition to his speed , what set him apart from other backs was his ability to cut and find the smallest of holes . Bo Schembechler called Bell " the greatest cutback runner I ' ve ever coached . " In 1975 , the Associated Press noted : " Bell is noted for his ability to cut on a dime , spurt through miniscule [ sic ] holes and hurdle tacklers . He ' s got fine speed and he ' s durable . Bell seems to get - - pardon the expression - - his bell rung on many tackles , only to bounce up as if nothing happened . " Noted Michigan radio broadcaster Bob Ufer often referred to Bell as " little Gordie Bell . " Ufer once humorously said , referring to Bell ' s ability to shift directions quickly , that Bell " could run fifteen minutes in a phone booth and never touch the sides . " In his career at Michigan , Bell gained 2 , 902 rushing yards in 535 carries , and scored 28 rushing touchdown s . In addition to running from scrimmage , Bell ran back 12 kickoffs for an average of 26 . 4 yards . 1973 season . As a sophomore in 1973 , Bell saw his first action against Iowa . He was given five carries and gained 50 yards ( including a 24 - yard gain ) for a ten - yard per carry average . Bell did not start any games in 1973 , but his playing time increased later in the season , including 19 carries against Minnesota for 73 yards and 15 carries against Indiana for 89 yards . For the season , Bell rushed for 464 yards in 88 carries . The 1973 team finished with a record of 10 – 0 – 1 , with the only imperfection coming at the end of the season with a 10 – 10 tie with Ohio State . Despite tying for the Big Ten Conference championship , Big Ten athletic directors decided to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl , and conference rules did not permit Michigan to play in another bowl game . Michigan ended up ranked number 6 in the final Associated Press poll . 1974 season . For the 1974 season , Bell rushed for 1048 yards which was , at that time , the third highest single - season total in school history . He joined Ron Johnson and Billy Taylor as the only players in Michigan history to rush for 1 , 000 yards in a season . Bell accomplished the feat despite being a part - time player , sharing the starting tailback job with sophomore Rob Lytle . In the 1974 campaign , Lytle started eight games to Bell ' s three , although Bell outrushed Lytle 1048 yards to 802 . Bell had lost about in the summer before the 1974 season , dropping to . He said , " I did it on my own to help me run , to make me quicker . " Asked in 1974 about his alternating Lytle and Bell at the tailback position , Bo Schembechler said : " They ' re both good . They have equal ability and they both deserve to play . " , Bell said at the time that he did not mind sharing playing time with Lytle because " we ' re both pretty fair backs . It ' s only fair that we share it . " In an October 1974 win over Minnesota ( by a score of 49 – 0 ) , Bell and Lytle combined for 292 rushing yards — 158 for Lytle and 134 for Bell . In Michigan ' s 51 – 0 victory over Purdue in November 1974 , Bell rushed for 166 yards in 22 carries for a 7 . 2 yards per carry average . He also set up a field goal and another touchdown with runs of 32 and 39 yards . Bell was named the UPI ' s Midwest offensive player of the week for the effort . When a reporter asked Bell for a comment , he said , " Coach doesn ' t want us to say anything this week . We ' ve got to get ready for Ohio State . " After Bell and Lytle combined for 1 , 850 rushing yards in 1974 , Schembechler said : " Bell and Lytle are the greatest combination in the country . Bell is the best cut runner I ' ve ever had . Lytle is a great power runner . The tailback position is healthy to say the least . " 1975 season . In both 1975 , Bell again shared the Michigan backfield duties with Rob Lytle . Bell was a senior in 1975 on a Michigan team that went 8 – 2 – 2 and finished the season ranked # 8 in the final Associated Press poll . Bell rushed for 1 , 390 yards , added 314 yards on kickoff returns , and was voted the team ' s Most Valuable Player . Michigan started the 1975 season ranked # 3 in the country , and moved into the # 2 spot with a 23 – 6 win over Wisconsin in the season opener . Despite being hampered by a muscle pull , Bell still rushed for 210 yards in 28 carries against Wisconsin . After the game , Bell noted that he " couldn ' t cut as well as ( he ) would have liked , " but he played through the injury realizing that , as a senior , " the coaches expect us to show the way . " On being named the UPI ' s Midwest Back of the Week , Bell noted , " It ' s really an honor to be recognized like that , but you have to have a lot of help out there . I thought Rick Leach was just super in the game . He sure didn ' t look like a freshman . And our offensive line did the job despite having so many sophomores in there . " Bell ' s 210 - yard performance against Wisconsin stood as the school record in a season opener for 28 years until Chris Perry rushed for 232 yards in the 2003 season opener against Central Michigan . After the opener against Wisconsin , Bell and the Wolverines tied games against Stanford ( 19 – 19 ) and Baylor ( 14 – 14 ) . Despite being favored by 18 points over Baylor , the Wolverines nearly lost and fell out of the top 10 in national ranking for the first time since September 1972 . After the Baylor game , Schembechler said the team lacked leadership . Bell may have been the one player to whom Bo ' s criticism did not apply , as he had a career - long 64 - yard kickoff return against Baylor , scored both of Michigan ' s touchdowns , and rushed for 89 yards in 26 carries . Bell ' s second touchdown against Baylor came with 6 : 50 remaining in the fourth quarter and saved the Wolverines from a defeat . The Wolverines rebounded into the top 10 with a 31 – 7 victory over Missouri in the fourth game of the season and strung together seven straight wins before facing Ohio State . Bell rushed for 119 yards against Missouri and had 150 all - purpose yards . In a 16 – 6 win over Michigan State in week five , Bell scored Michigan ' s only touchdown on an 19 - yard run in the fourth quarter . The Wolverines beat Northwestern Wildcats , 69 – 0 , in week six . For the first time in Michigan history , the Wolverines had three backs who each rushed for at least 100 yards . As the starting back , Bell rushed for 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first quarter alone . With the game turning into a blowout , Schembechler pulled Bell after the first quarter , and Rob Lytle gained another 105 yards , before being replaced by Harlan Huckleby who gained 157 yards . Michigan tied the modern Big Ten record of 573 rushing yards in the game . In a 28 – 21 win against Minnesota , Bell rushed for 174 yards on 31 carries for his fifth consecutive 100 - yard game . He also scored two touchdowns , including a 23 - yard run midway through the fourth quarter . The UPI noted : " Bell ' s clinching run came with 8 : 04 gone in the final quarter and saved Michigan from the embarrassment of a tie . " Bell ' s performance in the Minnesota game gave him 2 , 488 career rushing yards , second in school history to Billy Taylor ' s record of 3 , 072 yards . In a close 21 – 15 win over Illinois , Bell scored two first - quarter touchdowns and carried the ball a career - high 35 times . Going into the Ohio State game , Bell was in a three - person contest for the Big Ten Conference rushing championship . Bell led with an average of 134 . 1 yards per conference game to 125 . 1 for Billy Marek of Wisconsin , and 123 . 7 for Archie Griffin . Michigan ended the season with a 21 – 14 loss to Ohio State . Despite the loss , Bell won the battle of the backs , rushing for 124 yards on 21 carries and throwing for a touchdown pass , while Griffin was limited to 46 yards on 19 carries . Bell had 166 all - purpose yards against the Buckeyes , his last regular season game for Michigan . In his only bowl game appearance , Bell played in a 14 – 6 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners in Orange Bowl after the 1975 season . He gained 53 yards rushing and 90 all - purpose yards . Comparisons to Archie Griffin . Bell was Michigan ' s starting running back in the same years in which Archie Griffin won consecutive Heisman Trophies for Ohio State . In head - to - head meetings in 1974 and 1975 , Bell played as well or better than Griffin . In 1974 , each carried the ball 25 times , and Bell ended up with 108 yards compared with 111 yards for Griffin although Ohio State won the game 12 – 10 . In 1975 , Bell outgained Griffin 124 yards to 46 yards . Bell averaged 132 . 9 yards per game in 1975 to lead Griffin and the Big Ten Conference in conference game rushing . Even so , Griffin won the Heisman Trophy , and Bell finished eighth in the 1975 Heisman Trophy voting . During the 1975 season , Bell was asked how he felt about all the publicity being received by Griffin . He replied : " All of the publicity in the world doesn ' t help you win . I don ' t feel slighted because Archie is in our conference . I feel I ' m just as good as he is . " Bell later recalled : " Those two games against Ohio State were my biggest , and I consider the second game a personal victory . I outrushed Archie , but he had a great public relations guy in Woody Hayes . . . . He wasn ' t the best player in the conference so how can he be the best player in the country ? " Lee Larkins , who played for Purdue and was one of the top defensive back s in the Big Ten , said in 1976 that Bell was the best running back he ever played against . As a senior , Larkins played against Gordon Bell , Archie Griffin , and Ricky Bell of USC . Larkins said : " Gordon Bell was the best of the three . He was a super tough runner and a tough guy to make a solid tackle on . Gordon has a lot more speed and more moves than Archie does , and I thought he was a better all around player . " Relationship with Bo Schembechler . During Bell ' s years at Michigan , he played for the Wolverines ' legendary coach , Bo Schembechler . Near the end of Bell ' s freshman year , Bell told Schembechler he was taking an incomplete in a course . Schembechler talked to Bell ' s father , Trenton Bell , about the incomplete . Schembechler recalled , " Trenton told me ( Gordon ) ' d be back to finish that course . And he was . " Schembechler added , " Gordie listens to Trenton . What he says gets done . " Schembechler described Gordon Bell as " a very , very durable guy . " Bo noted : " He isn ' t exactly frail . He ' s put together well . He ' s a confident guy . Exciting and good as he is , he ' s also one of the nicest guys you ' ll ever meet . " As Archie Griffin garnered the lion ' s share of the media attention in 1975 , Schembechler spoke out for Bell : " I think Bell ' s as good as any back there is anywhere . I haven ' t seen any who looks better . . . . He is certainly the most underpublicized great back in the country . " Records and honors . Bell finished the 1975 season as the Big Ten ' s leading rusher , was selected to the Associated Press All - Big Ten team , was chosen as Michigan ' s Most Valuable Player , and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting . In a year with an abundance of strong running backs , Bell and Earl Campbell were relegated to the AP ' s third - team All - American , as Archie Griffin and Ricky Bell took first - team honors , and Tony Dorsett and Jimmy DuBose took second - team honors . Bell ' s career at Michigan was among the best in school history to that point . His school records included : Professional career . New York Giants . Bell was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft . Bell did not get much playing time early in the 1976 season with the Giants . In late November , columnist David Bushnell wrote an article , " Are Giants missing the boat on Gordon Bell ? , " questioning the team ' s lack of utilization of Bell . Bushnell noted that Bell had " spent most of the season standing on the sideline waiting to be inserted into the lineup for a few plays . " The Giants ' starting running back in 1976 was Doug Kotar , though Bushnell opined that Bell was the superior back : " Bell is quick , with speed to break any play for a long gain , and he can catch the ball . . . . If the Giants are trying to break Bell in gradually , they might just miss the boat totally , breaking Bell instead . " Bell noted at the time that the lack of playing time held him back : " It takes me about a quarter or so to get going , break a sweat and get the legs loosened up . I really don ' t like being shuffled in and out so much , but as a rookie I can ' t do much about it . " Bell also added , " Sure it ' s been hard for me to be a spot player , especially because my body isn ' t ideal for that type job . I think it ' s better for me to play a lot , but then again I ' m not the coach . " The 1976 Giants , who started 0 – 7 under Bill Arnsparger before going 3 – 4 under John McVay , had a diversified offense in which Bell was second on the team with 25 receptions for 198 yards . When Kotar was injured , Bell got his first start of the 1976 season on November 27 , 1976 . Bell rushed for two touchdowns in a 28 - 16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks . He posted the best day of his professional career , with touchdown runs of two and 21 yards , gaining 56 yards on the ground and 41 more on pass receptions . After the game , Bell said , " I needed a game like that . " The backfield was led by Doug Kotar and Larry Csonka with Bell being the third leading rusher . Having seen little playing time as a rookie in 1976 , Bell played even less in 1977 , as the Giants worked Bob Hammond and Willie Spencer into the rushing rotation . Bell rushed for 63 yards in 16 carries for the entire 1977 season . His main contribution to the 1977 Giants was as a kickoff returner , as he returned 12 kickoffs for 235 yards , second best on the Giants after Hammond . St . Louis Cardinals . During 1978 , he was briefly on the Green Bay Packers roster during training camp , and he signed with the St . Louis Cardinals in November . In 1978 , Bell had more kickoff returns ( eight ) than rushes ( seven ) with St . Louis . Later years . After retiring from football , Bell ran a barbecue restaurant in Dayton , Ohio . He later sold radio advertising in Detroit , Michigan and Chicago , Illinois .