Editing Bert Bell (section)

==Early life (1895–1932)==
Bell was born De Benneville Bell,<ref>Didinger with Lyons: 6; cf. Claassen: 163, Yost: 54</ref> on February 25, 1895,<ref>MacCambridge: 41; cf. Didinger with Lyons: 6, Rothe: 34, King: 20, Lyons: 1</ref> in [[Philadelphia]] to [[John C. Bell (lawyer)|John C. Bell]] and Fleurette de Benneville Myers.<ref>Lyons: 1; cf. Didinger with Lyons: 6</ref> His father was an attorney who served a term as the [[Pennsylvania Attorney General]].<ref name="LY3">Lyons: 3</ref> His older brother, [[John C. Bell Jr.|John C. Jr.]], was born in 1892.<ref name="LY3"/> Bert's parents were very wealthy,<ref>MacCambridge 2005: 41; cf. Lyons: 1–3</ref> and his mother's lineage predated the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>Lyons: 2</ref> His father, a [[Penn Quakers|Quaker]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] (class of 1884) during the [[History of American football|early days of American football]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/sports/football/1800s/1882.html |title=Penn Football: Origins to 1901 |access-date=May 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224043414/http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/sports/football/1800s/1882.html |archive-date=December 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> accompanied him to his first football game when Bell was six years old.<ref name="Sully2324">Sullivan: 23–24</ref> Thereafter, Bell regularly engaged in football games with childhood friends.<ref name="LY3-4">Lyons: 3–4.</ref>

In 1904, Bell matriculated at the [[Episcopal Academy]], the [[Delancey School]] from 1909 to 1911 and then the [[Haverford School]] until 1914.<ref name="LY3-4"/> About this time, his father was installed as athletics director at Penn<ref name="Sully2324"/> and helped form the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA).<ref name= "LY235">Lyons: 2–3, 5.</ref> At Haverford, Bell captained the school's football, basketball, and baseball teams,<ref>Lyons: 4; cf. King: 21.</ref> and "was awarded The Yale Cup <nowiki>[for being]</nowiki> 'The pupil who has done the most to promote athletics in the school.'"<ref name="HAVERFORD">{{cite web|url=http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2010/03/14/main_line_times/sports/doc4b97f33501911037333855.txt?viewmode=fullstory |title=Bert Bell heads Haverford School Hall of Fame induction class |date=March 14, 2010 |work=Main Line Times |publisher=Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Foundation |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128045118/http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2010/03/14/main_line_times/sports/doc4b97f33501911037333855.txt?viewmode=fullstory |archive-date=January 28, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although he excelled at baseball, his devotion was to football.<ref>Lyons: 5</ref> His father, who was named a trustee at Penn in 1911,<ref>Marquis: 286</ref> said of Bell's plans for college, "Bert will go to Penn or he will go to hell."<ref name= "LY235"/>

===University of Pennsylvania (1914–1919)===
[[File:1916 Penn Quakers backfield.jpg|thumb|right|Bell (left) with [[Penn Quakers football|Penn]] teammates Ben Derr (center) and [[Joe Berry (second baseman)|Joe Berry]] in 1916]]
Bell entered the [[University of Pennsylvania]] in [[Philadelphia]] in the fall of 1914. He majored in English and joined the [[Phi Kappa Sigma]] fraternity.<ref name="LY5-7">Lyons: 5–7</ref><ref>Rothe: 34</ref> In a rare accomplishment for a sophomore, he was named the starting quarterback by Penn coach [[George H. Brooke]].<ref name="LY5-7"/> He also was a defender, punter, and punt returner.<ref name="PENN POSITIONS">{{cite web |url=http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0909/pro06.html |title=The Man Who Modernized Pro Football |author=Zeitlin, Dave |date=July 28, 2009 |access-date=May 24, 2011 |archive-date=June 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604191358/http://www.upenn.edu/gazette///0909/pro06.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> After the team's 3–0 start, Bell temporarily shared possession of his quarterbacking duties until he subsequently reclaimed them later in the season,<ref>Lyons: 6–7</ref> as Penn finished with a record of 3–5–2.<ref name="MAC 1080">MacCambridge 2009: 1080</ref>

Prior to Penn's 1916 season, Bell's mother died while he was en route to her bedside.<ref name="LY7-8">Lyons:7-8</ref> He started the first game for the Quakers under new coach [[Bob Folwell]], but mixed results left him platooned for the rest of the season.<ref name="LY7-8"/> Penn finished with a record of 7–2–1.<ref name="MAC 1080"/> However, the Quakers secured an invitation to the [[1917 Rose Bowl]] against the [[Oregon Ducks]].<ref>King: 21; cf. Lyons: 9</ref> Bell had the best offensive gain for Penn during their 0–14 loss to [[Oregon Ducks football|Oregon]], a 20-yard run, but was replaced late in the game at quarterback after throwing an interception.<ref>Lyons: 10</ref> In the 1917 season, Bell led Penn to a 9–2 record.<ref name="MAC 1080"/>

Following the 1917 season, Bell registered with a Mobile Hospital Unit of the [[United States Army]] for [[World War I]] and was deployed to [[France]] in May 1918.<ref name="LY1115">Lyons: 11–15</ref> As a result of his unit participating in hazardous duty, it received a congratulatory letter for bravery from [[General officer|General]] [[John J. Pershing]],<ref name="LY1115"/> and Bell was promoted to [[first sergeant]].<ref name="L16-20">Lyons: 16–20.</ref> After the war, Bell returned to the United States in March 1919.<ref name="LY1115"/> He returned to Penn as captain of the team in the fall and again performed erratically.<ref name="L16-20"/> The Quakers finished 1919 with a 6–2–1 record.<ref name="MAC 1080"/> Academically, his aversion to attending classes forced him to withdraw from Penn without a degree in early 1920.<ref>{{cite news | title = All American Selection Quits Quaker College | date = January 13, 1920 | url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1920-01-13/ed-1/seq-12/;words=Bert+Bell?date1=1920&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=bert+bell&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2&index=2 | work = [[New-York Tribune]] | page = 12}}; cf. Lyons: 20–21, MacCambridge 2005: 42, Willis: 310–311</ref> His collegiate days ended with his having been a borderline [[All-America]]n,<ref>Lyons: 20; cf. Umphlett: 143–144</ref> but this period of his life had proven that he "possessed the qualities of a leader."<ref>{{cite news | title = How Did it Strike You | date = November 17, 1922 | url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1922-11-17/ed-1/seq-30/;words=Bert+Bell?date1=1920&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=bert+bell&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2&index=17 | work = [[Public Ledger (Philadelphia)|Evening Public Ledger]] | page = 30}}; cf. [http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1920-09-01/ed-1/seq-14/;words=MAXWELL+ROBERT?date1=1920&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=robert+maxwell&y=19&x=6&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2&index=19 Colleges Already Preparing for Football by Cleaning Out Cash Registers and Polishing Up Stars]</ref>

===Early career (1920–1932)===
Bell assembled the Stanley Professionals in [[Chicago]] in 1920, but he disbanded it prior to playing any games because of negative publicity received by Chicago due to the [[Black Sox Scandal]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Widespread Baseball Probe Harmful for Pro Grid Sport; Bell Disbands Local Eleven | date = October 5, 1920 | url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1920-10-05/ed-1/seq-18/;words=Bert+BERT+BELL+Bell?date1=1920&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=bert+bell&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=2 | work = Evening Public Ledger | page = 18}}; cf. [http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1920-10-01/ed-1/seq-18/;words=Bert+Bell?date1=1920&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=bert+bell&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=9 Stanley Football Team Disbands]</ref> He joined [[John Heisman]]'s staff at Penn as an assistant coach in 1920, where he remained for several years.<ref name="LY 22-23">Lyons: 22–23.</ref> At Penn, he was well regarded as a football coach, and after its 1924 season, he drew offers for, but declined, head-coaching assignments at other universities.<ref name="LY 22-23"/> At least as early as 1926, his avocation was socializing<ref>Lyons: 23–29</ref> and frequenting [[Saratoga Race Course]], where he counted as friends [[Tim Mara]], [[Art Rooney]], and [[George Preston Marshall]].<ref>Lyons writes, against all common sense, it was Jack Mara, Tim's son, as the person he befriended. Lyons: 23, 29</ref> In 1928, Bell tendered his resignation at Penn in protest over the emphasis on in-season scrimmages during practices by [[Lud Wray]], a fellow assistant coach.<ref name="LY2527">Lyons: 25–27</ref> Bell's resignation was accommodated prior to the start of the 1929 season.<ref name="LY2527"/>

Bell was then an employee of the [[Ritz-Carlton]] in [[Philadelphia]]. At one point, he tried his hand as a stock broker and lost $50,000 ({{Inflation|US|50000|1929|r=-4|fmt=eq}}) during the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]].<ref name="LY3032">Lyons: 30–32</ref> His father bailed him out of his deprivation, and he returned to working at the Ritz.<ref name="LY3032"/> From 1930 until 1932, he was a backfield coach for [[Temple Owls football|Temple]] in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news | title = Bell Signed by Temple | date = December 4, 1929 | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10D1FFD3C5F177A93C6A91789D95F4D8285F9&scp=2&sq=bert+bell&st=p | work = [[The New York Times]] | page = 42 }}; cf. Rothe: 34, Lyons: 28, Willis: 310</ref> In 1932, Marshall tried to coax Bell into buying the rights to an [[National Football League|NFL]] franchise, but Bell disparaged the league and ridiculed the idea.<ref>Lyons: 49</ref> When [[Glenn Scobey Warner|Pop Warner]] was hired to coach Temple for the 1933 season, Warner chose to hire his own assistants, and Bell was let go by Temple.<ref>Lyons: 28; cf. MacCambridge 2009: 1081</ref>