Henry Bell

Henry Bell is a former American football halfback who played one season in the American Football League (AFL) for the Denver Broncos. He never attended college and played for several military service teams in Hawaii and Kansas before his one year in professional football. One of the original members of the Broncos, he was one of their main backs and played in 10 games while rushing for 238 yards. Early life and military service Pro Football Archives lists him as being born in 1937 in Georgia, although a 1959 article from The Manhattan Mercury identified him as a native of Hawaii. Several modern sources also list him as having attended Valdosta High School, but The Mercury stated that he went to Boy's High School in Brooklyn, New York. He recalled in an interview in 2018 that he had been offered an athletic scholarship to play for the Kansas State Wildcats, but was unable to attend. Bell then began to serve in the United States Army in 1955 and played football and track and field for several military teams. Being a member of the 25th Infantry Division stationed in Hawaii, Bell won the division track and field championships in 1956 with a 100-yard dash time of 9.8, as well as a 21.9-second 220-yard dash time. In football, he was named a Hawaii Army All-Star selection in all three years with the team (1955–1957) while playing both sides of the ball. On offense, the 5 ft 11 in, 200-pound halfback scored 16 touchdowns in 1956 and was selected to be a member of the Hawaii Pros, a team that played the College All-Stars in the Hula Bowl. He was one of only two people from the army to make the team. After playing for the 25th Infantry Division, Bell played with the Funston Red Raiders of Fort Riley in Kansas, being named All-Army in 1959 after running for over 1,000 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns in just eight games. He was known for his ability to make long runs, with nine of his scores being over 20 yards. The Manhattan Mercury described Bell as a speedy player but a hard-hitter and said that whether he "is lugging the ball or making noise as a decoy, he is a dangerous man to be left unwatched on any football field."