Kay Bell

Kay Dee Bell (October 14, 1914 – October 27, 1994) was an American football player who played two seasons in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the tenth round of the 1937 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington State University and attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Seattle, Washington.[1] Bell was also a member of the Los Angeles Bulldogs, Cleveland Rams and Columbus Bulls. He was a professional wrestler and actor as well.

Kay Bell
No. 26, 89, 34, 50
Position:Guard / Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1914-10-14)October 14, 1914
Chehalis, Washington
Died:October 27, 1994(1994-10-27) (aged 80)
Redmond, Washington
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Seattle (WA) Abraham Lincoln
College:Washington State
NFL Draft:1937 / Round: 10 / Pick: 97
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

College career

Bell lettered for the Washington State Cougars from 1934 to 1936.[2] He earned All-American honors.[3]

Professional football career

Bell was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 97th pick in the 1937 NFL Draft.[4] He played in ten games, starting one, for the team during the 1937 season.[1] He played in six games, starting five, for the Los Angeles Bulldogs from 1939 to 1940.[5][6] Bell signed with the Cleveland Rams in 1940 but did not appear in a game for the team.[7] He played in seven games, starting four, for the Columbus Bulls of the American Football League in 1941.[8] He played in eleven games for the New York Giants in 1942.[1]

Professional wrestling career

Bell had a long career as a professional wrestler under the ring name of "Samson", a reference to him appearing in the film Samson and Delilah, and his real name "Kay Bell".[3][9] He won the Texas Heavyweight Championship in July 1946.[10][11][12]

Acting career

Bell was Victor Mature's double in the 1949 film Samson and Delilah.[3][9] He appeared in a stunt position in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments.[3] He also appeared in the 1949 film Everybody Does It.[10] Bell had parts in several TV shows as well.[13]

Personal life

Bell worked as a deep sea diver during the football off-season.[3] He later retired from professional wrestling to work as a San Mateo County jailer for two years.[3][9] He then spent fifteen years as a teacher, the last nine in a special-education program for children in San Mateo.[9] Bell died of cancer on October 27, 1994, at his home in Redmond, Washington.[1][9]

References
  1. "KAY BELL". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  2. "Kay Bell". old.lostlettermen.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  3. Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d ed. McFarland. 2014. p. 22. ISBN 9780786476435.
  4. "1937 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  5. "1939 Los Angeles Bulldogs". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  6. "1940 Los Angeles Bulldogs". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  7. "Kay Bell, Popular Grappler, Will Play for Cleveland". San Jose Evening News. June 7, 1940. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  8. "1941 Columbus Bulls". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  9. "Kay Bell, Football Player and Wrestler, 80". The New York Times. October 29, 1994. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  10. Lentz, Harris M., III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. pp. 32–33. ISBN 9780786417544.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    • Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 268–269. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  12. "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  13. "Kay Bell". imdb.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
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