He was a star football player at the Mount Saint Michael Academy, a Catholic high school in the Wakefield neighborhood of The Bronx.

He was recruited by Vince Lombardi to play football at the United States Military Academy.

Because of the Korean War, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) waived the freshman rule in 1951, and Bell played on Army's varsity team.

The ECAC in 1953 undertook an investigation to determine whether Bell was permitted to play in his fifth year at the Academy.

While he had previously been regarded as a "workhorse runner with drive and spirit," he developed a talent for following blockers in 1954.

[7] He also excelled on defense, knocking down a pass in the end zone as time expired to preserve a 21-20 victory over Virginia.