Earl Holmes Bell (born August 25, 1955) is a retired American pole vaulter. He competed at the 1976, 1984, and 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 1984. He finished sixth in 1976 and fourth in 1988.
Bell briefly held the world record in the pole vault in 1976. He later became a coach and trained several prominent American pole vaulters. In 2002, he was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Early life and education
Bell was born in Panama to William "Papa" K. Bell and Yola Zimmerman Bell. His father was a medical doctor, a masters record-holder in pole vaulting,Masters Athletics Pole Vault Rankings. Retrieved November 4, 2020 and attended the University of Arkansas. The family moved from Panama to Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1960.
In 1973, Bell entered Arkansas State University. He graduated in 1988 with a BSc degree in accounting. While attending Arkansas State, Bell won the NCAA pole vault title in 1975, 1976, and 1977. He also won the AAU championships in 1976 and 1984 and placed third in 1981. Bell won a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games and finished fifth at the 1991 Pan American Games.
Bell entered the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials as the world record holder. During the trials, he lent his pole to David Roberts, who broke it. Roberts won the trials with a new world record, while Bell finished second. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, Roberts won the bronze medal and Bell finished sixth.
Bell won the British AAA Championships title at the 1981 AAA Championships.
Coaching career
After retiring from competition, Bell established Bell Athletics outside Jonesboro, Arkansas, where he coached Jeff Hartwig, Derek Miles, Kellie Suttle, Daniel Ryland, and Jillian Schwartz, among other pole vaulters.Earl Bell. bellathletics.com
Bell is married and has three children: Drew, Sam, and Henry.
Rankings
Bell remained highly ranked throughout his career, receiving U.S. rankings among the world's leading pole vaulters for 16 consecutive years in the annual rankings published by Track and Field News.World Rankings Index — Men's Pole Vault. Track and Field News
Year Event World ranking U.S. ranking 1975 Pole vault 3rd 1st 1976 Pole vault 4th 2nd 1977 Pole vault 4th 2nd 1978 Pole vault – 5th 1979 Pole vault – 5th 1980 Pole vault – 6th 1981 Pole vault 6th 1st 1982 Pole vault – 4th 1983 Pole vault – 3rd 1984 Pole vault 7th 2nd 1985 Pole vault – 4th 1986 Pole vault 5th 1st 1987 Pole vault 3rd 1st 1988 Pole vault 5th 2nd 1989 Pole vault – 5th 1990 Pole vault – 3rd
References
External links
Bell Athletics Training and Camps