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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 1, 1962 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | South (Columbus) | ||||||||
| College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
Gregory Leon Bell (born August 1, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Raiders, from 1984 to 1990.
Bell played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Bills in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft. Before going to Notre Dame, he attended South High School in Columbus, Ohio.[1]
Bell was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft.[3] He was a one-time Pro Bowler after his rookie year in 1984 with the Bills after having a 1,100 rushing yards and a seven touchdown season. Bell had his best year after the 1988 NFL season with the Rams, in which he had 1,212 rushing yards and led the league with sixteen touchdowns. He had a similar season the year after in which Bell had 1137 rushing yards and fifteen touchdowns, again leading the league. To that point, no other running back had ever led the league in rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons without entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Bell attempted to hold out for a better contract. The Rams instead traded him to the Raiders, who had a loaded backfield consisting of Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson, and Napoleon McCallum; Bell barely saw the field and was out of the NFL after that season.[4]
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1984 | BUF | 16 | 15 | 262 | 1,100 | 4.2 | 85 | 7 | 34 | 277 | 8.1 | 37 | 1 |
| 1985 | BUF | 16 | 15 | 223 | 883 | 4.0 | 77 | 8 | 58 | 576 | 9.9 | 49 | 1 |
| 1986 | BUF | 6 | 6 | 90 | 377 | 4.2 | 42 | 4 | 12 | 142 | 11.8 | 40 | 2 |
| 1987 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 14 | 60 | 4.3 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 9.3 | 12 | 0 |
| LAR | 2 | 1 | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 59 | 11.8 | 32 | 1 | |
| 1988 | LAR | 16 | 13 | 288 | 1,212 | 4.2 | 44 | 16 | 24 | 124 | 5.2 | 20 | 2 |
| 1989 | LAR | 16 | 15 | 272 | 1,137 | 4.2 | 47 | 15 | 19 | 85 | 4.5 | 14 | 0 |
| 1990 | LA | 6 | 0 | 47 | 164 | 3.5 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 |
| Career[5] | 80 | 67 | 1,204 | 4,959 | 4.1 | 85 | 51 | 157 | 1,307 | 8.3 | 49 | 7 | |