[1] When he joined the NFL as an official in 1962 from the Southeastern Conference, he was given the referee position, and stayed at that spot until his retirement in 1976.
[2] He retired from the NFL following the 1976 AFC Championship Game between the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers,[3] played December 26, 1976, to conclude a fifteen-year career in the league.
When Bell chose the former, Jim Tunney was selected as the referee for his second Super Bowl.
7 upon his promotion to referee in 1993 and wore it through his retirement in 2007, even though he returned to his original position for his final four NFL seasons.
Unlike nearly all other professional football officials, Bell did not have to serve an apprenticeship at another position before becoming a referee.