| Graduation Year | Class of 1953 |
| Date of Passing | (unknown) |
| About | Go to the mobile version of gosanangelo.com . | Login | Manage My Profile | Contact Us | Site Map | Archives | Subscription Services | Subscribe to the Paper | Place a Classified Ad News Opinion Sports Entertainment Business Obituaries My San Angelo Lifestyles Health Weather Homes Jobs Cars Classifieds Other Storiessearch site web Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH Home › West Texas Football › High School Football Other Stories MIKE LEE: Bell still has vivid memories of Ballinger STORY TOOLS E-mail story Comments iPod friendly Printer friendly More High School Football Other Stories High school football playoff pairings Statewide high school playoff pairings West Texas playoff pairings Social Bookmarking Jerry Bell may have been the Will Rogers of Ballinger in the 1940s and '50s. "Jerry's dad (R.L. Bell) ran a grocery store there in Ballinger, and Jerry delivered groceries to everybody's house in town. He knew everybody and everybody knew him," said Spike Dykes, a football teammate of Bell for Ballinger's 1953 Class 2A state finalist team. "I never knew of anybody in town or in school that didn't like him. That's pretty rare." Bell, who quarterbacked Ballinger to its only state finals appearance and also quarterbacked Texas Tech as it entered the Southwest Conference in 1956, died last week of heart failure in Monte Vista, Colo. He was 73. More than 50 years have passed since Bell grew up the youngest of 11 children in his family in Ballinger. But time hasn't diminished the memories of those who knew him. "As good a football player as he was, he was an even better person," said Diane Brevard, who along with her husband, Weldon, visited Bell in Colorado twice a year until his death. "You know, when somebody dies, people say nice things about them, even if they weren't. But Jerry really was nice all the time. I never met a person that didn't like him, and I never heard him say he didn't like somebody else." Bell had every reason not to be so modest and likable while growing up. He was Mr. Everything in Ballinger - 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, dating the head cheerleader, quarterback of the football team, best player on the basketball team, president of the student council and president of the senior class. "Not one ounce of that ever went to his head," said Dykes, who centered the ball to Bell during the 1953 football season. "He had less ego ... well, I guess he had no ego. He was one of those guys that you meet in high school, and as the years go by, they never change." Carlton Stowers, a sixth-grader in Ballinger during the 1953 football season, sacked groceries at Bell's store, and was surprised to discover that Jerry came in on Saturdays to help. "Jerry Bell and Spike Dykes and (fullback) Richard Toliver, those guys were like gods to us," said Stowers, now an accomplished book author. "They took time to talk to us and play catch with us. They made us feel important." Weldon Brevard called Bell a "leader without trying to be." He was an excellent passer, but he never complained about playing during an era when high school football teams primarily ran the ball. "He could throw the ball when nobody threw the ball," Dykes said. "Football season would end, and they'd start basketball the next day and Jerry would make 30 points a game in basketball. "He was one of those guys that, if things didn't work, he took the blame. But if it did work, he gave the credit to someone else. That's what made him a great leader." Bell was such a nice guy that Weldon Brevard didn't even mind Bell stealing his girlfriend, Pat Tisdale. "Pat moved to Ballinger in the eighth grade, and I was dating her," Brevard said. "I introduced her to Jerry, and it didn't take long for her to leave me for Jerry. They started dating in the eighth grade and eventually married." When Jerry died, he and Pat were five weeks shy of their 50th wedding anniversary. After playing college football at Texas Tech, Bell owned a car dealership in Lamesa for several years before moving to Colorado, where he and Pat loved to vacation. There, Bell made a living in warehouse sales for the large potato-growing industry in the San Luis Valley just south of the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. Bell survived multiple heart surgeries, including six bypasses at one time about 20 years ago. He also was forced to use an oxygen tank during the final year of his life. But like being a passing quarterback during a running era, he never complained. Until his death, he still mowed and edged his yard, and kept up the flower bed. He died on Nov. 18 after falling asleep in his favorite chair. He made one sound out of the ordinary, then his heart just stopped. His memorial service in Colorado was a celebration of his life. Bell didn't want any tears or sadness. When the celebration was over, 200 red and black balloons - the colors for both Ballinger High and Texas Tech - were released into the air. True to his modest nature, his obituary in the local newspaper in Monte Vista mentioned his wife, family, military service and work in the local potato industry. No mention was made of his athletic feats. Nothing about Bell being the only quarterback to lead Ballinger High to the state finals. Nothing about being the first starting quarterback for Texas Tech as a member of the old Southwest Conference. Mike Lee, a former Standard-Times sports editor, writes a weekly column on Fridays during the high school football season. There are 0 responses to this story. Click here to join the conversation Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement. 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