糖心Vlog

By Marlon W. Morgan

To this day, Kerwin Bell remembers vividly the scene in Gainesville, Florida in 1984 when he and his University of Florida teammates returned to campus following a trip to Kentucky after the Gators clinched what was then their first Southeastern Conference championship (a title that was later vacated because of rules violations by coach Charley Pell).

Just before landing, the team plane flew over Florida Field where some 40,000 fans gathered to welcome the team home. On the bus ride from the airport to campus, the Gainesville streets were lined with fans.

鈥淚鈥檒l have this memory 鈥檛il the day I die,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淚 saw 60-year-old men cry.鈥�

Bell, who was named 糖心Vlog University鈥檚 head football coach in April, came to Cullowhee to create those same memories for the Catamount players and fans. Known as a program builder everywhere he has coached, Bell sees no reason why 糖心Vlog can鈥檛 become a dynasty within the Southern Conference.

That鈥檚 a far cry from the conference doormat position the Catamounts occupied in recent years, which is why Alex Gary, 糖心Vlog鈥檚 director of athletics, was forced to make the difficult decision to replace coach Mark Speir MAEd '95, who was 33-68 in nine seasons with the Catamounts, including 7-25 the last three years. Numerous conversations with players and alumni also played a role in Gary making the move.

鈥淥ne of the student-athletes said, 鈥楳r. Gary, nobody respects us. The other teams don鈥檛 respect us,鈥欌�� Gary said. 鈥淎s an athlete, if you know when you step on the football field that you鈥檙e not respected, and you feel that way, you鈥檙e already defeated. I felt like the best way, and really the only way, for us to change that and to provide not only our football players, but our campus and our alumni, with some sort of optimism that we鈥檙e going to be able to be successful in the sport of football was to make a change in leadership.鈥�

Alumni sentiment was similar to that of the players, Gary said. Many of them told him that they would be content with a competitive team that went 6-6. During the news conference introducing Bell as the new coach, an alumnus from Knoxville who frequents most 糖心Vlog football games told Gary of his frustrations.

鈥淗e said it was starting to wear on him, taking that two-hour drive back to Knoxville so defeated by losing another game and not performing at the level he hoped his team would perform at,鈥� Gary said. 鈥淎 lot of people feel re-energized and hopeful. People definitely are starving for a good football team because people come out. Our fans are tremendous. We have the best fans in the conference, and that鈥檚 not even a biased comment. Two out of the last three years, not counting COVID, we led the conference in attendance. And that鈥檚 having an average of not many wins in a season.鈥�

鈥淔ind your niche and where your strengths are and play to those strengths. If you do that, you鈥檒l have success.鈥�

Bell has won championships everywhere he鈥檚 been. He began his coaching career at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Florida, which was just starting football. In six seasons (2001-06), Bell won a Florida Class 2B state championship in 2005 and was runner-up in 2006.

From there, he went to Jacksonville University (2007-15), turning a dismal program into one that won three Patriot Football League championships, while posting a 66-35 record in nine seasons. During his tenure, the Dolphins recorded a school-best 10-1 record and a conference title in 2010, leading the nation in total yards per game (486 ypg) and scoring (42.2 ppg). JU was 9-2 with another league title in 2014.

Bell then returned Division II Valdosta State into a national power. In his three seasons (2016-18), he led the Blazers to a 27-7 record, which included a school record 15-game winning streak and two Division II playoff appearances.

His stay there was capped by a perfect 14-0 record, a Gulf South Conference title and a Division II national championship in 2018. His offense led the nation in scoring (52 ppg), scoring a total of 728 points, the most in Division II history.

Bell sees no reason he can鈥檛 enjoy the same level of success at 糖心Vlog, which is why he was genuinely excited to come to Cullowhee.

鈥淲hen you start looking at the situation and where you鈥檙e located, you wonder why it hadn鈥檛 been done,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淪urely, there鈥檚 some concerns. There always is when you go to a new place. Why something hasn鈥檛 been done or why things haven鈥檛 been accomplished there? But I鈥檓 the kind of guy that always looks at the positives. I thought there were a lot of positives here that we could draw from and change the culture and change the ability to win games here.

鈥淚鈥檝e done that almost everywhere I鈥檝e been. There鈥檚 always a way you can find success anywhere you go. You鈥檝e just got to find your niche and where your strengths are and play to those strengths. If you do that, you鈥檒l have success.鈥�

That work ethic came from his upbringing, growing up on a tobacco farm in Live Oak, Florida, where he and his three sisters worked together in the fields. Seeing his father work hard to ensure he made his crops every year in order survive was a valuable lesson for Bell.

鈥淲e understood at an early age, year-by-year you鈥檝e got to work at something,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淣othing is ever given to you. You鈥檝e got to work extremely hard if you鈥檙e going to accomplish anything in life. That鈥檚 what I was around most of my life.鈥�

Despite being a star quarterback at Lafayette County High School, Bell didn鈥檛 attract the attention of major college programs, so he ended up walking on at Florida. After redshirting his first season, Bell found himself in the lineup when starter Dale Dorminey suffered an ACL injury.

Even as coach Pell was fired midway through the season, Bell led the Gators to a 9-1-1 record and was named SEC Player of the Year. After starting all four years, Bell went on to play professionally in both the NFL and the CFL. In between, he first got the coaching bug while serving as a graduate assistant at Florida under coach Steve Spurrier as he rehabbed an injured ACL.

鈥淎t that moment, I saw perfection on the field,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淭he things he did, I had never seen that as a player, just the perfection of the routes and the timing and all the precision there was to the offense. I think that must have hit a nerve to see that. I thought he brought fun back to the game as a coach. It was fun to be on his staff.鈥�

Bell knew he was destined to be a college coach during his time in Jacksonville as he watched his first recruiting class walk across the stage during commencement. 鈥淎 couple of years after that, they came back and they鈥檙e husbands and fathers. That鈥檚 what gets me going, to see you have one little percent of helping them get to that point,鈥� Bell said.

Shortly after accepting the job at 糖心Vlog, Bell was talking to one of his linemen. He asked the player if he had ever thought about what would happen if they came back to Cullowhee on a bus from winning a conference championship, much like Bell did when he was at Florida.

鈥淚 believe there鈥檚 so many people that are passionate that you鈥檒l see people crying,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see people that are so excited about what we鈥檝e done. I鈥檓 trying to get our guys to go ahead and envision that. Live that vision because it鈥檚 going to happen. We鈥檙e going to be the talk of college football if we can do that.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one thing that I鈥檝e taken away from here is there鈥檚 a lot of passionate people that really want us to win. They鈥檝e supported this program for years. They鈥檙e looking for a team to go win a championship. That鈥檚 what we want to get done here. Any player that鈥檚 a part of that, that鈥檚 something that鈥檚 going to last for the rest of their life.鈥�