Together Again

[MeanGreen61]

Football: Together again

Malone, Bell reunited on Mean Green football staff

09:04 AM CDT on Sunday, October 2, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

When Bruce Bell arrived at the scene of the accident almost 20 years ago, his van was crunched on a curb and one of his favorite pupils was staring at the ground.

Bell was the track coach and defensive coordinator at Houston Waltrip during that afternoon in 1988 when he entrusted Van Malone to drive a few members of the track team home after a workout.

DRC/Gary Payne

University of North Texas assistant coach Bruce Bell, right, has been joined on the Mean Green staff by Van Malone, left, this season. Bell coached Malone while they were both at Waltrip High School in Houston.

The group didn’t get very far before Malone plowed over a curb, blew out two of the van’s tires and bent both wheels.

“When I got to him his head was down and he couldn’t say anything,” Bell said. “I told him not to worry about it and if that was the worst thing that happens, then we are in good shape.”

That accident has been a source of laughs this fall now that Bell and Malone are both members of the coaching staff at North Texas.

Bell, 51, is serving as UNT’s running backs coach and recruiting coordinator this fall, while Malone, 35, is in his first year as the Mean Green’s defensive backs coach.

Bell has announced that he will retire after national signing day in February to work with the NFL’s Junior Player Development Program, an organization that tutors players ages 12-14 at schools that lack offseason programs. That announcement left Malone one year to learn about coaching and life while working in a unique situation with his mentor.

“Coach Bell was a big influence on me and is a part of the reason I coach,” Malone said. “He has done so much for me and a lot of other players through the years. A lot of my best friends are other guys who played for coach Bell. We always talk about what an influence he was on our lives.”

The players and coaches who know Bell best say that his greatest asset during 29 years as a high school and college coach has been his ability to develop a personal relationship with players and direct them toward productive careers on the field and successful lives after sports.

“In coaching you are a brother, a father, a best friend and a teacher,” Malone said. “I was fortunate to have a mom and dad at home, but a lot of guys don’t. Coach Bell provides that guidance and is a role model. He is old, but he has a young personality, handles players on their level and relates well to them. I try to pattern myself after him and what he has done.”

Establishing a legacy

Bell’s personal approach has paid off during his tenure at UNT, where he has left his mark both as a coach and a recruiting coordinator.

All told, Bell has coached at UNT for six years between terms as a high school coach and administrator. During his short time at UNT from 1998-2000 and 2003 through this season, he has overseen the signing of one of the top recruiting classes in recent Mean Green history and helped bring Malone to Denton.

Bell has spent the last three seasons as UNT’s recruiting coordinator and orchestrated the signing of the Mean Green’s 2004 class that was ranked 72nd nationally by Rivals.com, a Web site that covers college football recruiting. The group that has already produced six starters is considered one of the best classes UNT has signed in the last few years.

Bell’s greatest legacy, however, will likely be coaching three of the best running backs to ever pull on a Mean Green uniform.

Senior Patrick Cobbs and Ja’Quay Wilburn rank first and second in Mean Green history in rushing with 3,133 yards and 3,120 yards, respectively. Sophomore Jamario Thomas is closing on both of those players after setting UNT’s single season rushing record with 1,801 yards last year.

All three have spent at least part of their careers with Bell as their running backs coach.

“Coach Bell has helped me a lot,” Thomas said. “He knows my weaknesses and helps me get better. He is a great coach and helps us enjoy playing the game.”

Bringing in a friend

While Bell is best known as UNT’s running backs coach, he will also be remembered for helping bring Malone to Denton.

The pair’s relationship started back at Waltrip, where Malone was part of a standout group of athletes that included longtime NFL wide receiver Keenan McCardell.

“Van was a pretty good athlete,” Bell said. “If you asked him to lock someone down in man-to-man coverage, he could do it. He was one of my prized pupils.”

Bell took Malone, a youngster from a rough part of town, under his wing because of his character as well as his talent. When Malone wasn’t fast enough to make Waltrip’s loaded sprint relay team, Bell kept him on as the track team’s manager. When Malone needed somewhere to go to just pass the time, he could often be found at Bell’s house.

The relationship the two developed lasted even after Bell left Waltrip for Fort Bend Kempner before Malone’s senior year.

Both have made several stops since during their careers.

Bell bounced around between different coaching jobs, while Malone continued his playing career, first at the University of Texas from 1989-93 and then in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.

Malone eventually retired from the NFL and started coaching on the high school level. Bell used his contacts to help Malone quickly advance through the coaching ranks at several stops, including stays at Division II North Dakota State and Division I Western Michigan.

When UNT defensive backs coach Sam McElroy left after the 2004 season to become the head coach at Tarleton State, a Division II school in Stephenville, Bell pitched Malone as McElroy’s replacement to Mean Green head coach Darrell Dickey.

“Bruce had mentioned Van’s name before and brought him up again when coach McElroy left,” Dickey said. “We are very pleased with him. He has had a positive effect on the program.”

Senior cornerback T.J. Covington said Malone is an aggressive coach who has the attention and respect of players because of his NFL background and the ability to relate to players he learned from Bell.

“It’s been real good playing for coach Malone,” Covington said. “He pushes us in practice because he says the harder he pushes us in practice, the easier games will be. I really like playing for him.”

Watching Malone develop a rapport with UNT’s defensive backs has been rewarding for Bell.

“To recommend Van to coach Dickey gave me a way to carry on what I believe in,” Bell said. “To come back to North Texas and finish my career here with him has been a blessing.”

The legacy Bell will leave behind is a long and illustrious one. Bell not only helped establish UNT’s legacy of standout running backs, he also played for the Mean Green under legendary coach Hayden Fry from 1975-76. When UNT went through a series of down seasons a few years ago, Dickey called on Bell to talk about the his experiences during the Mean Green’s heyday and his faith that the team could return to its winning ways.

Dickey said replacing Bell will be a tough task because of his UNT background in addition to his skills as a coach. Fortunately for the Mean Green, Bell will be around for a few more months to pass along what he has learned to the rest of UNT’s coaches.

Malone said he will try to pick up all he can from Bell so he can carry on his mentor’s legacy.

“It has been great to coach with Bell because it brings his career full circle,” Malone said. “By coaching here, I am allowing him to see the fruits of his labor.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.