A Texas Southern University graduate, Wells was the epitome of the American Football League's enlightened policies towards recruiting black athletes.
Wells, while he was a sports photographer, accomplished the desegregation of fan seating at amateur and professional events in Houston, and was an advocate for civil rights and for black athletes throughout his life.
He also recruited defensive backs Jim Kearney and Emmitt Thomas, and linebacker Willie Lanier.
After becoming pro football's first black full-time scout, in a famous "babysitting" incident in 1965, he managed to get wide receiver Otis Taylor away from the NFL's Dallas team.
He had a major hand in staffing the Chiefs to enable them to win the fourth and last world championship game between the champions of the AFL and the NFL, in which they defeated the Vikings 23–7 in Super Bowl IV.