Where are they now? Former Rams RB & NFL touchdown leader Greg Bell

[ROD-BOT]

Where are they now? Former Rams RB & NFL touchdown leader Greg Bell

After a trade brought running back Greg Bell to the Los Angeles Rams in 1987, the former first-round pick made an instant impact, leading the NFL in touchdowns in 1988 & 1999. Since retiring, Bell has dedicated his life to providing young adults with the

www.therams.com

Where are they now? Former Rams RB & NFL touchdown leader Greg Bell​

After three-plus years, and leading the Bills in rushing two seasons, Greg Bell wanted to leave Buffalo in 1987 for greener pastures. Literally.

"I had tried to put a deal together to go to Miami," said Bell, who was a first-round draft choice out of Notre Dame and Pro Bowler in 1984. "I just wanted to be on natural surface. I had torn my abdomen on the bad turf that Buffalo had back then.

"We had tried to put together a trade in our same division and Buffalo didn't want to deal with that. We were just hoping that we could get into a deal. Not caring really what the principal parts of it were, just as long as I was getting out of Buffalo, and getting off the turf."

Bell got what he wanted, and the Rams' trick-or-treat bag was stuffed following a Halloween day three-team blockbuster.

The Indianapolis Colts traded rookie hold-out linebacker Cornelius Bennett to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round pick in 1988, first- and second-round picks in 1989, and Bell.

The Colts then traded Bell, the three draft choices acquired from Buffalo, plus first- and second-round picks in 1988, a second-round pick in 1989, and running back Owen Gill to the Rams for Eric Dickerson.

"It was a three-way deal that was going to benefit all three sides," Bell said. "I knew what I was capable of doing. I knew what Eric was capable of doing. The question mark probably was what was 'Biscuit' [Bennett] going to be? But he was one of the top college players, so we knew he was going to probably be a great player, as well."

Excited to be joining the Rams and looking forward to playing on the grass field at Anaheim Stadium, Bell wasn't initially certain if head coach John Robinson shared the same feeling.

"No one called me. Nothing," Bell said. "My first talking to John Robinson is when I flew out here. It was just crazy. John had no anticipation. He was taking what he got delivered.

"He drafted Eric because he wanted Eric. And to lose a premier back at that time probably was going to disappoint anybody, especially a guy like John Robinson, who loved running the ball.

"He said Charlie (White) was playing very well for him at that time and, 'We're going to keep going with what we've got. And where you can fit in, you'll fit in.'"

In 1988, his first full season with the Rams, Bell fit in and then some. Rushing for a team-high 1,212 yards, he led the NFL with 16 touchdowns.

"I knew I would be a large part of the offense because of John Robinson," Bell said. "John loved running the ball. No matter how much Jim Everett's development was coming and things of that nature, we're still talking about John Robinson. The student body right, student body left, counter trey, that was his history. So I knew I was going to get an opportunity to carry the ball."

The opportunities continued the following season when Bell again rushed for a team-high 1,137 yards and led the league with 15 touchdowns.

That was also the year Los Angeles posted an 11-5 record and reached the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco. How they got there is among Bell's fondest memories as a Ram.

"Going back to Philadelphia to play (in the NFC Wild Card Game) after just beating the New England Patriots (in Foxborough, MA in the regular-season finale), to this day, they say that's the greatest defense in NFL history. But then we must have been the greatest offense because we put something on Buddy Ryan's defense that made him stop talking for a while," Bell said of the 21-7 victory, when he rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown.

"I laugh because you turn around the next week and go and play against the second-greatest defense, the New York Giants (in the divisional round). I remember L.T. [Lawrence Taylor] before that game, 'Yeah, we're going to have to put a lockdown on Greg. We're not going to let him run like he did against Philadelphia.'

"But then what tends to shut people up a lot of times is that they forgot that we had a wide receiver who should be in the Hall of Fame, Henry Ellard. And you had Flipper Anderson and Aaron Cox and Ron Brown. We had more speed than they had ever seen before.

"I think about that team and I hate to say that we were the second-best team in the league. But other than the 49ers, we pretty much had a lock on beating pretty much everyone else. I wish we could have completed it, won for the city of Los Angeles."

The father of three adult children: Chanel, LeShon, and Rami; Bell remained in Southern California following his seven-year career with the Bills, Rams, and Raiders, and makes his home in Santa Barbara.

After working with New York governor Mario Cuomo and the Athletes Against Drunk Driving and Drug Prevention, and with Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No," Bell founded the Athletes for Life Foundation in 1989.

"I had a traumatic situation hit me where one of my closest friends on Earth, Stacey Toran, who was an all-star strong safety for the Raiders, killed himself in a drunk driving accident," Bell said. "I decided at that point, that if somebody that close to me wasn't hearing the message, I needed to do something for myself.

"And so that's how the mission of Athletes for Life got started, as an anti-drunk driving and drug provision. Really, because I lost my best friend to a drunk driving accident that I wish I could have helped him avoid."

In 2000, after meeting with school superintendents across the country, Bell widened the focus of the foundation. Its mission stayed the same, to help kids live their dreams and live an alcohol- and drug-free life, but it also began getting into educational services and having after-school programs for school districts in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties. And there's a possibility it will expand to the Long Beach and Carson areas this coming school year.

"So many kids have all been educated – go to college, go to college, go to college. And we're starting to see now in our society because of technology, there's a fortitude of kids who are going straight from high school into the job force because they've got that gift. And so we're trying to help bring back programs like electronic tech positions, mechanics, carpentry, plumbing," Bell said.

"We work with ROP [Recreational Occupational Programs] here in Southern California. It's really a great program for kids who are non-traditional, that group of kids who are great at what they do with their hands. They could be great floorers. Contracting work is probably the No. 1 work in America right now. You can't find enough of them.

"It blew me away when the guy from Keller Interiors said, 'Greg, if I can get kids to be interested in flooring, I'll guarantee them a starting salary at $95,000. I'm dead serious. I need floorers. The more I get, the more I can work. I just don't have enough manpower.'"

 

[JYB]

Where are they now? Former Rams RB & NFL touchdown leader Greg Bell

After a trade brought running back Greg Bell to the Los Angeles Rams in 1987, the former first-round pick made an instant impact, leading the NFL in touchdowns in 1988 & 1999. Since retiring, Bell has dedicated his life to providing young adults with the

www.therams.com

Where are they now? Former Rams RB & NFL touchdown leader Greg Bell​

After three-plus years, and leading the Bills in rushing two seasons, Greg Bell wanted to leave Buffalo in 1987 for greener pastures. Literally.

"I had tried to put a deal together to go to Miami," said Bell, who was a first-round draft choice out of Notre Dame and Pro Bowler in 1984. "I just wanted to be on natural surface. I had torn my abdomen on the bad turf that Buffalo had back then.

"We had tried to put together a trade in our same division and Buffalo didn't want to deal with that. We were just hoping that we could get into a deal. Not caring really what the principal parts of it were, just as long as I was getting out of Buffalo, and getting off the turf."

Bell got what he wanted, and the Rams' trick-or-treat bag was stuffed following a Halloween day three-team blockbuster.

The Indianapolis Colts traded rookie hold-out linebacker Cornelius Bennett to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round pick in 1988, first- and second-round picks in 1989, and Bell.

The Colts then traded Bell, the three draft choices acquired from Buffalo, plus first- and second-round picks in 1988, a second-round pick in 1989, and running back Owen Gill to the Rams for Eric Dickerson.

"It was a three-way deal that was going to benefit all three sides," Bell said. "I knew what I was capable of doing. I knew what Eric was capable of doing. The question mark probably was what was 'Biscuit' [Bennett] going to be? But he was one of the top college players, so we knew he was going to probably be a great player, as well."

Excited to be joining the Rams and looking forward to playing on the grass field at Anaheim Stadium, Bell wasn't initially certain if head coach John Robinson shared the same feeling.

"No one called me. Nothing," Bell said. "My first talking to John Robinson is when I flew out here. It was just crazy. John had no anticipation. He was taking what he got delivered.

"He drafted Eric because he wanted Eric. And to lose a premier back at that time probably was going to disappoint anybody, especially a guy like John Robinson, who loved running the ball.

"He said Charlie (White) was playing very well for him at that time and, 'We're going to keep going with what we've got. And where you can fit in, you'll fit in.'"

In 1988, his first full season with the Rams, Bell fit in and then some. Rushing for a team-high 1,212 yards, he led the NFL with 16 touchdowns.

"I knew I would be a large part of the offense because of John Robinson," Bell said. "John loved running the ball. No matter how much Jim Everett's development was coming and things of that nature, we're still talking about John Robinson. The student body right, student body left, counter trey, that was his history. So I knew I was going to get an opportunity to carry the ball."

The opportunities continued the following season when Bell again rushed for a team-high 1,137 yards and led the league with 15 touchdowns.

That was also the year Los Angeles posted an 11-5 record and reached the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco. How they got there is among Bell's fondest memories as a Ram.

"Going back to Philadelphia to play (in the NFC Wild Card Game) after just beating the New England Patriots (in Foxborough, MA in the regular-season finale), to this day, they say that's the greatest defense in NFL history. But then we must have been the greatest offense because we put something on Buddy Ryan's defense that made him stop talking for a while," Bell said of the 21-7 victory, when he rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown.

"I laugh because you turn around the next week and go and play against the second-greatest defense, the New York Giants (in the divisional round). I remember L.T. [Lawrence Taylor] before that game, 'Yeah, we're going to have to put a lockdown on Greg. We're not going to let him run like he did against Philadelphia.'

"But then what tends to shut people up a lot of times is that they forgot that we had a wide receiver who should be in the Hall of Fame, Henry Ellard. And you had Flipper Anderson and Aaron Cox and Ron Brown. We had more speed than they had ever seen before.

"I think about that team and I hate to say that we were the second-best team in the league. But other than the 49ers, we pretty much had a lock on beating pretty much everyone else. I wish we could have completed it, won for the city of Los Angeles."

The father of three adult children: Chanel, LeShon, and Rami; Bell remained in Southern California following his seven-year career with the Bills, Rams, and Raiders, and makes his home in Santa Barbara.

After working with New York governor Mario Cuomo and the Athletes Against Drunk Driving and Drug Prevention, and with Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No," Bell founded the Athletes for Life Foundation in 1989.

"I had a traumatic situation hit me where one of my closest friends on Earth, Stacey Toran, who was an all-star strong safety for the Raiders, killed himself in a drunk driving accident," Bell said. "I decided at that point, that if somebody that close to me wasn't hearing the message, I needed to do something for myself.

"And so that's how the mission of Athletes for Life got started, as an anti-drunk driving and drug provision. Really, because I lost my best friend to a drunk driving accident that I wish I could have helped him avoid."

In 2000, after meeting with school superintendents across the country, Bell widened the focus of the foundation. Its mission stayed the same, to help kids live their dreams and live an alcohol- and drug-free life, but it also began getting into educational services and having after-school programs for school districts in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties. And there's a possibility it will expand to the Long Beach and Carson areas this coming school year.

"So many kids have all been educated – go to college, go to college, go to college. And we're starting to see now in our society because of technology, there's a fortitude of kids who are going straight from high school into the job force because they've got that gift. And so we're trying to help bring back programs like electronic tech positions, mechanics, carpentry, plumbing," Bell said.

"We work with ROP [Recreational Occupational Programs] here in Southern California. It's really a great program for kids who are non-traditional, that group of kids who are great at what they do with their hands. They could be great floorers. Contracting work is probably the No. 1 work in America right now. You can't find enough of them.

"It blew me away when the guy from Keller Interiors said, 'Greg, if I can get kids to be interested in flooring, I'll guarantee them a starting salary at $95,000. I'm dead serious. I need floorers. The more I get, the more I can work. I just don't have enough manpower.'"

Bell and Jim Everett won me my very first season in fantasy football that year as late round homer picks.

 

[Corbin]

Wow never knew much about any of this. I became a fan in 1989 playoff game as a 8 year old, very interesting to read and hear the stories of the team and players/coaches before then.

Bell and Jim Everett won me my very first season in fantasy football that year as late round homer picks.

WTF? Fantasy was around back then? I thought it was a new invention in the mid to late 90's? lol Interesting fact to know.

 

[Loyal]

Wow never knew much about any of this. I became a fan in 1989 playoff game as a 8 year old, very interesting to read and hear the stories of the team and players/coaches before then.



WTF? Fantasy was around back then? I thought it was a new invention in the mid to late 90's? lol Interesting fact to know.

* looks at tennis shoes and wonders what is older, tennis shoes or Corbin? ~ @Merlin

 

[norcalramfan]

Bell and Jim Everett won me my very first season in fantasy football that year as late round homer picks.

I was co-owner of a team with Bell as our third back behind Curtis Martin and Terrell Davis. Then Bell broke his leg against Buffalo and we needed a running back because either Martin or Davis had a bye. In desperation we picked up Priest Holmes who was getting his first start against Cincy. To our delight Holmes ran wild for over 2 hundred yards that game.

 

[JYB]

Wow never knew much about any of this. I became a fan in 1989 playoff game as a 8 year old, very interesting to read and hear the stories of the team and players/coaches before then.



WTF? Fantasy was around back then? I thought it was a new invention in the mid to late 90's? lol Interesting fact to know.

Yeah, we were the only ones around that we knew of. Did all the scores, standings and stats by hand. Would have to check the box scores in the morning newspaper to find out who won. Faxed around the results to the owners.

 

[LA_Rams_#29]

As great a player as ED was...and even though we did fall off after trading him in the long run.... We were pretty good with Greg Bell and Everett for a minute....and if not for the Niners that team could have done some things...

 

[TSFH Fan]

About Greg Bell, Dickerson said: “You know, that little dwarf should learn one thing. He is not in my caliber. If Greg Bell came here or if I went back to the Rams, he would sit on the bench behind me the rest of his career.”

Dickerson Runs Off a Mouthful

Eric Dickerson told interviewer Jim Gray on NBC's "NFL Live" Sunday that he is not bitter about the trade that sent him from the Rams to the Indianapolis Colts on Halloween last year.

www.latimes.com

 

[Corbin]

Yeah, we were the only ones around that we knew of. Did all the scores, standings and stats by hand. Would have to check the box scores in the morning newspaper to find out who won. Faxed around the results to the owners.

That's crazy to just even think about! lol Good memories for you!

 

[Classic Rams]

I was majorly disappointed that ED had to be traded. But before Bell, some may remember Charles White as the main back during the strike/scrub season of 1987 who initially replaced Dickerson. And this was after White had been arrested for being on drugs during the preseason. The police found him in an open field screaming incoherently while holding a trash can lid. Sort of an 80's version of Don Quixote. From a Heisman trophy winner to the Ram of LaMancha. Later during the regular season White would be found marching down the field toward his first and only 1000 yard rushing performance. Before being acquired by the Rams he was highly rated coming out of USC and ended up with minimal yards for a very average Cleveland Browns team for a few years. Talk about overcoming some incredible odds.

_________

Charles White Is Arrested--Drugs : Rams' Running Back Found Wandering in a Field in Brea​

August 22, 1987| CHRIS DUFRESNE | Times Staff Writer


Ram running back Charles White was arrested Friday afternoon in Brea and booked on misdemeanor charges of being under the influence of a controlled substance, police said.

Though lab tests have not yet been completed, a source said the substance is suspected to be cocaine.

White, a former Heisman Trophy winner, has a history of drug problems dating back to his days at USC and later with the Cleveland Browns. It seemed, though, that he had controlled the problem since signing with the Rams as a free agent in 1985.

White, according to police reports, was found wandering in a field near the corner of Brea Boulevard and Lambert Avenue in Brea. He was carrying a trash can lid and screaming incoherently and was, police said, "extremely irritated."

White was taken to St. Jude Hospital for observation and later to the Brea Police Dept., where he was booked and released under his own recognizance at 4:20 p.m.

White is scheduled to appear in North Orange County Municipal Court Sept. 23.

"When he came back from the hospital, he was extremely apologetic for his behavior," watch Commode Bill Lentini said. "He was very remorseful. He was extremely cooperative."

The Rams had been practicing twice daily at the team's training complex at Cal State Fullerton, but the team was given Friday morning off, and players didn't have to report back until 1 p.m.

Lentini said the department received several calls regarding a man in a field carrying a large metal object. According to a police press release, White was taken to St. Jude Hospital for treatment of a drug overdose.

Ram Coach John Robinson said he would not immediately comment on White's arrest, but the team issued the following statement:

"Ram running back Charles White has been charged with a misdemeanor of being under the influence of a foreign substance," the statement read. "The Rams are initiating proceedings to determine what chemical substance was used and will ascertain what actions are appropriate."

Neither White nor his wife, Judy, could be reached for comment Friday night.

Ram players didn't learn of White's arrest until Friday night.

Running back Mike Guman said he was told that White had been in an accident.

Said quarterback Steve Dils: "I just feel so bad for the guy. I couldn't be more shocked."

Dils and Guman added that they don't believe the Rams have a drug problem as a team. "I'm naive," Guman said. "To me, no one does it. But who knows? Maybe 10 guys are doing it."

Dils said he noticed more of a problem with his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. "In Minnesota, it kind of got out of hand. But I don't see it here."

The Rams had their annual random drug tests two weeks ago, Guman said. Apparently, White's test at that time was negative.

Both Dils and Guman said what White needs now is support. "He doesn't need people pointing fingers at him," Guman said. "He needs help. We're all behind him.

"Maybe not enough is being done. People are dying, and it's not going away."

Ram quarterback Jim Everett said: "I was shocked. I hope this thing can be remedied to the point where he's healthy as a human being first. Things were going so well for him."

That they were. White, primarily Eric Dickerson's backup since joining the Rams as a free agent in 1985, scored two touchdowns in the Rams' exhibition win over the Denver Broncos in London.

Because of Dickerson's sore hamstrings, White was scheduled to start at tailback in Sunday night's game against the Chargers at San Diego.

Now, of course, there are more pressing concerns.

White seemed an indestructible force when he left USC in 1980, but the headlines he made with the Cleveland Browns weren't about his considerable running talent.

White, a first-round draft choice, had been a disappointment with the Browns and missed several practices during his first two seasons, prompting Cleveland officials to confront White about a possible drug problem.

It was then learned that White's problems with cocaine dated as far back as USC, but the situation had worsened considerably during his second season with the Browns.

White agreed to accept help and entered a month-long program at CareUnit of Orange in July 1982.

It was then that then-Coach Sam Rutigliano formed a drug awareness program for his players called the Inner Circle. White was one of the dozen or so Cleveland players that participated in the program.

According to Dr. Gregory B. Collins, head of the Cleveland Clinc's drug and alcohol recovery center, White had made excellent progress after leaving CareUnit in 1982.

But White was seemingly well aware of the lingering effects of his addiction.

However, in an April 1986 interview with The Times on the CareUnit facility, White said he no longer attended all after-care counseling meetings, the most important step in recovery according to Dr. Joseph Pursch, who heads CareUnit.

"You can attend meetings for as long as you are alive," White said at the time. "You can go once or twice a week. With my situation, I have God in my life. It's up to the person. If he wants to get thrown back in (the drug circle), it's there. The important thing is to stick to the program, gather yourself new friends and stay away from the old places and old friends."

Police watch Commode Lentini seemed affected by seeing White in his station. "I'm hoping he'll still be a success story because I've followed him since his days at USC," Lentini said.

_________


Greg Bell was considered a throw-in to the Dickerson trade. Pretty much an afterthought. But White had some injuries in 1988 and Bell won the job after a good performance vs Green Bay in game 1. So I learned to like and appreciate Bell for his contributions. While he was no Dickerson, he carried the load after beating out rookie hopeful Gaston Green, a highly touted running back from UCLA who was expected to win the job. Green had good speed, but was slow in adjusting to the NFL game. Wanting to turn many runs into sweeps unsuccessfully, Green just wasn't the every down back that the Rams had envisioned.

In 1989 the Rams and Bell played the Buffalo Bills on Monday night football. Bills starting QB Jim Kelly was injured and his backup had to fill in. This was looking like a Rams win. But during the game, the MNF crew mentioned that Bell had been talking trash about the Bills in the media earlier in the week. What?? I never heard about that. Another Monday night surprise that the show liked to drop on us. They said he called DT Fred Smerlas and LB Jim Haslett "rednecks," HC Marv Levy a "Con artist", and team doc Richard Weiss a quack. So naturally the Bills were playing at home with plenty of incentive, and it showed. While the Rams had an early lead, backup QB Frank Reich helped bring the Bills back. Buffalo ended up winning 23-20.

_________


GREG BELL FIRES BLASTS AT BILLS
RAM RIPS SMERLAS, LEVY

• By Vic Carucci
• Oct 10, 1989

Los Angeles Rams running back Greg Bell fired the first shot in a war of words with his former team, the Buffalo Bills, whom he will face next Monday night for the first time since leaving them in a 1987 trade.

In an interview published today by the Orange County (Calif.) Register, Bell took aim at:

Bills nose tackle Fred Smerlas, Bills coach Marv Levy, Bills running back Robb Riddick and Bills physician Dr. Richard Weiss.

Bell said he never got along with Smerlas during the 3 1/2 seasons the running back spent with the Bills.

"I'm going to love playing against Fred, because Fred's going to have to watch his butt the whole game," said Bell, whom the Bills included in their three-way deal with the Rams and Indianapolis Colts to acquire linebacker Cornelius Bennett.

"I'm going to tell (Rams center) Doug Smith and them (the rest of the offensive line) to drive him as hard as they want," Bell added. "You know, he's an average player who, when he's surrounded by great players, they beef up his status a lot.

"(Former Bills linebacker) Jim Haslett and Fred Smerlas, they were just red-necks. They were prejudiced guys. The fact that a young black man came in making a great deal of money, driving a red Ferrari, dressing out of this world, they were offended by that. They made comments when I left like, 'I never liked him anyway.' That's fine, because I didn't want to be their kissing cousin."

Smerlas gave Bell the nickname of "Tinker" during Bell's rookie season with the Bills in 1984. Bell was known to have problems with a number of players on the team, including blacks.

"Tinker is a stinker," Smerlas said Monday. "He said I was a racist. But none of the black guys on the team liked him, either. He had fights with (Derrick) Burroughs, with Riddick, me, Haz, everybody.

"He was a great football talent. No one ever denied that. But as a person, he lacked a lot of character. He was empty inside, so he tried to show it on the outside with all of his jewelry and flash."

Of Levy, Bell said, "I think he's more of a con artist than he is a coach. Everybody uses that Harvard graduate garbage. I mean, who cares? Harvard graduates don't help you win on the football field. And he's no engineer of the game."

Bell, who leads the Rams with 512 yards and is well on his way to his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, described Riddick as a "different kind of guy." Riddick, who is on the Bills' injured-reserve list, publicly criticized Bell last year.

"Why he's still there, I don't know," Bell said of Riddick. "I mean, he scored a lot of touchdowns for them one year; that's all he's really ever done."

Bell said Weiss misdiagnosed a groin-muscle injury he had, and that resulted in his getting off to a bad start with Bill Polian and Levy. "He (Weiss) is not the greatest doctor for that organization, and in time, they're going to see that," Bell said.

_________


Bell had two very good seasons as the Rams main runner in 1988 and 1989. But in 1990 the Rams decided to go with Seahawks' ex-1000 rusher Curt Warner, who was coming off of a devastating knee injury after a few 1000 yards seasons. Warner wasn't the same runner that the Rams had hoped for, and played his final season. Meanwhile Bell was jettisoned off to the Raiders and was also a disappointment and could never repeat his Rams' performance.

Bell remains a 2-time 1000 rusher in Rams lore.

 

[David Ray]

Where are they now? Former Rams RB & NFL touchdown leader Greg Bell

After a trade brought running back Greg Bell to the Los Angeles Rams in 1987, the former first-round pick made an instant impact, leading the NFL in touchdowns in 1988 & 1999. Since retiring, Bell has dedicated his life to providing young adults with the

www.therams.com

Where are they now? Former Rams RB & NFL touchdown leader Greg Bell​

After three-plus years, and leading the Bills in rushing two seasons, Greg Bell wanted to leave Buffalo in 1987 for greener pastures. Literally.

"I had tried to put a deal together to go to Miami," said Bell, who was a first-round draft choice out of Notre Dame and Pro Bowler in 1984. "I just wanted to be on natural surface. I had torn my abdomen on the bad turf that Buffalo had back then.

"We had tried to put together a trade in our same division and Buffalo didn't want to deal with that. We were just hoping that we could get into a deal. Not caring really what the principal parts of it were, just as long as I was getting out of Buffalo, and getting off the turf."

Bell got what he wanted, and the Rams' trick-or-treat bag was stuffed following a Halloween day three-team blockbuster.

The Indianapolis Colts traded rookie hold-out linebacker Cornelius Bennett to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round pick in 1988, first- and second-round picks in 1989, and Bell.

The Colts then traded Bell, the three draft choices acquired from Buffalo, plus first- and second-round picks in 1988, a second-round pick in 1989, and running back Owen Gill to the Rams for Eric Dickerson.

"It was a three-way deal that was going to benefit all three sides," Bell said. "I knew what I was capable of doing. I knew what Eric was capable of doing. The question mark probably was what was 'Biscuit' [Bennett] going to be? But he was one of the top college players, so we knew he was going to probably be a great player, as well."

Excited to be joining the Rams and looking forward to playing on the grass field at Anaheim Stadium, Bell wasn't initially certain if head coach John Robinson shared the same feeling.

"No one called me. Nothing," Bell said. "My first talking to John Robinson is when I flew out here. It was just crazy. John had no anticipation. He was taking what he got delivered.

"He drafted Eric because he wanted Eric. And to lose a premier back at that time probably was going to disappoint anybody, especially a guy like John Robinson, who loved running the ball.

"He said Charlie (White) was playing very well for him at that time and, 'We're going to keep going with what we've got. And where you can fit in, you'll fit in.'"

In 1988, his first full season with the Rams, Bell fit in and then some. Rushing for a team-high 1,212 yards, he led the NFL with 16 touchdowns.

"I knew I would be a large part of the offense because of John Robinson," Bell said. "John loved running the ball. No matter how much Jim Everett's development was coming and things of that nature, we're still talking about John Robinson. The student body right, student body left, counter trey, that was his history. So I knew I was going to get an opportunity to carry the ball."

The opportunities continued the following season when Bell again rushed for a team-high 1,137 yards and led the league with 15 touchdowns.

That was also the year Los Angeles posted an 11-5 record and reached the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco. How they got there is among Bell's fondest memories as a Ram.

"Going back to Philadelphia to play (in the NFC Wild Card Game) after just beating the New England Patriots (in Foxborough, MA in the regular-season finale), to this day, they say that's the greatest defense in NFL history. But then we must have been the greatest offense because we put something on Buddy Ryan's defense that made him stop talking for a while," Bell said of the 21-7 victory, when he rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown.

"I laugh because you turn around the next week and go and play against the second-greatest defense, the New York Giants (in the divisional round). I remember L.T. [Lawrence Taylor] before that game, 'Yeah, we're going to have to put a lockdown on Greg. We're not going to let him run like he did against Philadelphia.'

"But then what tends to shut people up a lot of times is that they forgot that we had a wide receiver who should be in the Hall of Fame, Henry Ellard. And you had Flipper Anderson and Aaron Cox and Ron Brown. We had more speed than they had ever seen before.

"I think about that team and I hate to say that we were the second-best team in the league. But other than the 49ers, we pretty much had a lock on beating pretty much everyone else. I wish we could have completed it, won for the city of Los Angeles."

The father of three adult children: Chanel, LeShon, and Rami; Bell remained in Southern California following his seven-year career with the Bills, Rams, and Raiders, and makes his home in Santa Barbara.

After working with New York governor Mario Cuomo and the Athletes Against Drunk Driving and Drug Prevention, and with Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No," Bell founded the Athletes for Life Foundation in 1989.

"I had a traumatic situation hit me where one of my closest friends on Earth, Stacey Toran, who was an all-star strong safety for the Raiders, killed himself in a drunk driving accident," Bell said. "I decided at that point, that if somebody that close to me wasn't hearing the message, I needed to do something for myself.

"And so that's how the mission of Athletes for Life got started, as an anti-drunk driving and drug provision. Really, because I lost my best friend to a drunk driving accident that I wish I could have helped him avoid."

In 2000, after meeting with school superintendents across the country, Bell widened the focus of the foundation. Its mission stayed the same, to help kids live their dreams and live an alcohol- and drug-free life, but it also began getting into educational services and having after-school programs for school districts in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties. And there's a possibility it will expand to the Long Beach and Carson areas this coming school year.

"So many kids have all been educated – go to college, go to college, go to college. And we're starting to see now in our society because of technology, there's a fortitude of kids who are going straight from high school into the job force because they've got that gift. And so we're trying to help bring back programs like electronic tech positions, mechanics, carpentry, plumbing," Bell said.

"We work with ROP [Recreational Occupational Programs] here in Southern California. It's really a great program for kids who are non-traditional, that group of kids who are great at what they do with their hands. They could be great floorers. Contracting work is probably the No. 1 work in America right now. You can't find enough of them.

"It blew me away when the guy from Keller Interiors said, 'Greg, if I can get kids to be interested in flooring, I'll guarantee them a starting salary at $95,000. I'm dead serious. I need floorers. The more I get, the more I can work. I just don't have enough manpower.'"

Loved it when they shut Buddy Ryan's pie hole and inflicted a loss that contributed to his getting fired for failing to live up to the billing.

 

[JYB]

That's crazy to just even think about! lol Good memories for you!

That was my first year in that league, but it had been around for a couple of years before I joined it, so it probably started around 1984 or 1985.

 

[sloramfan]

man i remember that...

buddy ryan was bragging about how his d-line was gonna dominate, and throw the rams around like rag-dolls...

and if you remember, they had reggie white that year, he waas still in philly...

talk about waking a sleeping dragon...

the rams dominated that "unstoppable" d-line....

at least that's the way this ramfan remembers it...

go rams

slo

 

[Corbin]

That was my first year in that league, but it had been around for a couple of years before I joined it, so it probably started around 1984 or 1985.

I've wanted to be in a league where there is a draft in person etc. lol That'll be beast

 

[Merlin]

Dickerson Runs Off a Mouthful

Eric Dickerson told interviewer Jim Gray on NBC's "NFL Live" Sunday that he is not bitter about the trade that sent him from the Rams to the Indianapolis Colts on Halloween last year.

www.latimes.com

Vintage Eric. Speaking truth too.