Former Bears Safety Bell Dies

Part of the logic behind reuniting teammates for the 20th anniversary of the Super XX victory was to avoid doing it under tragic circumstances; such was the case at Walter Payton’s funeral in 1999. However a day after unveiling the celebration schedule, members of the ’85 team will grieve for a fallen teammate.

Todd Bell died Wednesday of an apparent heart attack while driving near Columbus, Ohio. According to police, Bell, 47, lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a house in the Columbus suburb of Reynoldsburg, near his home.

The 1981 fourth round pick out of Ohio State made the Pro Bowl following the ‘84 campaign. He was third on that team in tackles (77) and interceptions (4), and he had 4¨ sacks. He built a reputation for being a physical safety that would layout opposing receivers.

While Bell played for five seasons for the Bears, he may be best remembered for sitting out the 1985 Super Bowl season because of a contract dispute with the team. Dave Duerson replaced him at strong safety and went to the Pro Bowl.

Bell returned to the field in 1986, but was never the same player. He spent the final two years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, who were coached by former Bear defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

In 103 games with the Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, Bell finished with 7 interceptions, 2 touchdowns and 10 sacks.