Minnesota to Retire the Jersey of Bobby Bell During Homecoming Game

It’s been a long time coming for one of the greatest Gophers of all time, as legendary Gopher great, Bobby Bell will finally have his jersey retired. Gopher fans were taking bets during the 1960 celebration on who would be next to get their jersey retired and now we know the answer! Here is the information from the U:

The University of Minnesota will retire the jersey of former Gopher and NFL great Bobby Bell during Minnesota’s homecoming contest with Northwestern on Oct. 2.

Bell’s name and familiar number 78 will be immortalized, along with the names and jersey numbers of Bronko Nagurski (72), Bruce Smith (54), Paul Giel (10) and Sandy Stephens (15) on the façade of the upper deck in TCF Bank Stadium.

“œI think it’s a great thing for me,” Bell said. “œI’ll be joining four other guys who are up there and are great football players. It’s just an honor. For me, to come from North Carolina playing six-man football and come to Minnesota and become “¦ I just can’t explain it to you. That’s history. Once you go up there “¦ that’s something they can’t take away from you. It’s always going to be there.”

Bell will sign autographs inside the TCF Bank Stadium gates near the Tribal Nations plaza before the Gopher-Wildcat contest. He is also scheduled to take part in the pre-game coin toss. Bell will be featured throughout the game on the stadium’s video boards and he will be on the field for his jersey retirement ceremony between the first and second quarters.

Bell came to Minnesota from tiny Shelby, N.C. He couldn’t play major-college football in the south, because the universities and colleges were still segregated. But Minnesota head coach Murray Warmath learned of Bell and eventually offered him a scholarship and an opportunity play for the Gophers.

Bell wound up becoming a two-time All-America performer at tackle and was awarded the coveted Outland Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top interior lineman following the 1962 season. He won the Big Ten Most Valuable Player award and finished third in the Heisman voting in 1961. Bell led the Gophers to a 22-6-1 record during his tenure at Minnesota, which included a national championship in 1960 and victory in the 1962 Rose Bowl.

Following his time with the Gophers, Bell went on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, first in the American Football League from 1963 through 1969, and then in the NFL from 1970 through 1974. Bell was an AFL All-Star for six consecutive years, 1964 through 1969, and then an NFL Pro Bowler for three straight years (1970-1972).

He was on two AFL Championship teams and a World Championship team. He was named to the All-Time All-AFL Team in 1970. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1980, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. Bell was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991. He is also a member of the M-Club Hall of Fame.

The Chiefs retired his uniform number 78. In 1999, he was ranked number 66 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.