Frostburg State Athletic Hall of Fame
1991-1994
Football
Inducted October 16, 2009
156th Inductee
Ariel Bell is one of the top kick return specialists to play for the Frostburg State football program throughout its 47-year history.
During his four-year career, Bell helped the Bobcats to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and victory in 1993 with a school-record 10 wins, as well as an ECAC Southeast Championship (’91) and an ECAC Southwest runner-up finish (’94).
As a senior, Bell earned multiple national and regional honors for his ability to break loose on any kick return. He earned pre-season All-American honors, while accumulating Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-South Region First Team specialist award and First Team All-American Offense honors. He led the team in receiving yards (772), yards per reception (21.4), punt returns (20) and yards per return (17.3). Bell recorded seven touchdowns on the season including two punt returns of 70 and 56-yards. His 17.3 yards per punt return also led the NCAA for that season. The Bobcats posted an 8-2-1 overall record on their way to an ECAC Southwest runner-up finish.
His junior year was one of the best seasons in school history as the team went 10-2 and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats posted their first NCAA Tournament win and advanced to the quarterfinals for the only time in program history with an exciting 26-25 win over Wilkes in the opening round. Bell started all 12 games for Frostburg State and averaged 77.4 multi-purpose yards per game, while also recording three receiving touchdowns. He also led the team with 24 punt returns for 224 yards.
Over his first two seasons, Bell started in 18 of 21 games and caught 42 passes. As a sophomore, he led the team with 536 receiving yards on 31 receptions and averaged 53.6 total yards per game with three touchdowns. In his freshman season, he averaged 19.6 yards per reception as he helped FSU earn its first-ever championship after downing William Patterson, 46-16, in the ECAC Southwest final.
