[2] Dell often was an official for games of the Columbus Panhandles, a team owned and coached by his friend Joseph Carr.
[9] In 1922, after the Columbus Panhandles' coach Ted Nesser retired, Joseph Carr hired Dell to replace him.
[5] As a result, the 1922 Panhandles finished with a disastrous record of 0–8, being outscored 24 points to 174 while placing last in the league.
[5][10] He did not remain their coach after the season, as Carr then sold the team to a group of investors who renamed them the Columbus Tigers.
[9] He returned at the referee position in 1928, then missed the 1929 season, and served at various times as a head linesman, umpire and field judge in the following four years before ending his NFL officiating career in 1934.