John A. Bell
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| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
|---|---|
| 1959–1960 | Mississippi Vocational |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 5–9–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 SCAC (1959) | |
John Anthony Bell was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi Vocational College (MVC)—now known as Mississippi Valley State University—in Itta Bena, Mississippi for two seasons. In his first season as head football coach at Mississippi Vocational, Bell led the team to the South Central Athletic Conference championship.[1][2][3] In his two years as head coach at MVC, he compiled a 5–9–2 record.[4]
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Bell earned a bachelor's degree from Philander Smith College and master's degree from the University of Arkansas,[5] receiving additional graduate education at the University of Indiana.[6][7] He was an assistant football coach at Lincoln High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas and then line and backfield coach at Texas College in Tyler, Texas.[8]
Following his time at MVC, Bell was announced as the new Dean of Men at the historically black Knoxville College on July 7, 1961.[6][7] In that capacity, Bell denied a police claim that Knoxville College students had made up a significant proportion of participants in an anti-segregation rally in April 1963.[9] In September 1963, it was reported that Bell was one of two Knoxville College faculty members for whom the United Negro College Fund Faculty Fellowship Program had granted funds to pursue doctoral degrees, with the report stating that "Mr. Bell will study for a doctorate in physical education at the University of Georgia".[10][11]
By December 1968, Bell had received his doctorate and was a program officer in the Texas Education Agency, and participated in a review of Lubbock County, Texas schools overseen by the United States Office of Education.[12] The following year, Bell testified about Lubbock's plans in a hearing on the matter in Dallas, questioning whether they would ever lead to integration of the district, and proposing two alternative plans to achieve this goal.[13][14] By October 1970, Bell was chief of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Office of Education in Dallas,[15] and by 1971, his title was reported as chief of the education branch of the Office of Civil Rights, Departmet of Health, Education, and Welfare.[16]
In 1996, the Galveston Independent School District invited Bell, as "a desegregation expert", to review its desegregation plans.[17]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Vocational Delta Devils (South Central Athletic Conference) (1959–1960) | |||||||||
| 1959 | Mississippi Vocational | 3–4–1 | 3–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1960 | Mississippi Vocational | 2–5–1 | |||||||
| Mississippi Vocational: | 5–9–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 5–9–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- ^ "MVC Coach Wins SCAC Grid Title". Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. January 2, 1960. p. 2, section 2. Retrieved December 10, 2022 – via Newspaper.com
.
- ^ "MVC Wins SCAC Football Crown". Jackson Advocate. December 19, 1959. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bell Wins Title In Rookie year", The Louisiana Weekly" (January 9, 1960), p. 10.
- ^ Mississippi Valley State University coaching records Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Coaches Named At Vocational". The Louisiana Weekly. New Orleans, Louisiana. July 25, 1959. p. 9. Retrieved December 10, 2022 – via Newspaper.com .
- ^ a b "Faculty Members Employed", The Knoxville Journal (July 8, 1961), p. 8.
- ^ a b "Six Added to Knoxville College Faculty", The Knoxville News-Sentinel (July 9, 1961), p. 15.
- ^ "New Coaching Staff Named At M.V.C". Jackson Advocate. Jackson, Mississippi. July 25, 1959. p. 7. Retrieved November 28, 2022 – via Newspaper.com .
- ^ "Only 9 From KC at Rally, Dean Says", The Knoxville News-Sentinel (April 17, 1963), p. 2.
- ^ "2 KC Professors Seek Doctorates", The Knoxville News-Sentinel (September 29, 1963), p. 26.
- ^ "UNCF Grants to 34 Faculty-ites Of 32 Colleges Total $122,540", The Pittsburgh Courier (October 31, 1964), p. 12.
- ^ "HEW Asks School Closings", Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (December 19, 1968), p. 1-A, 14-A.
- ^ "Lubbock's Integration Plan Doubted By U.S.", Austin American-Statesman (October 30, 1969), p. A2.
- ^ "Integration At Lubbock Challenged", The Amarillo Globe-Times (October 30, 1969), p. 44.
- ^ "Gilmer School Board Plans Tax Guidelines", The Gilmer Mirror (October 22, 1970), p. 1, 14.
- ^ "Brady Schools Are Ordered To Stop Transfer Students", San Angelo Standard-Times (June 30, 1971), p. 7.
- ^ Steve Mayo, "GISD takes steps towards fulfilling desegregation court order", The Galveston Daily News (November 22, 1996), p. A6-A7.
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