Sunday, December 12, 1976

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Page Seventeen

Ric BeI spurns spotlight

By DAVE RENBARGER
"It annoys me when people
introduce me: 'This is Ricky
Bell, the USC tailback,' " says
Ricky Bell.
With that, I would like to in-
troduce you to Ricky Bell-USC
speech major.
In his spare time, Bell enjoys
the mountains, the beach, lift-
ing weights, playing basketball
and listening to rock music.
His close friends know him as
Ricky Bell, a hard-working, ded-
icated young man, humble in
demeanor and quiet by nature.
The rest of the world knows
him as Ricky Bell, the Univer-
sity of Southern California
tailback, whose unique com-
bination of speed and power
sets him apart from all the
rest.
After his first two years at
Southern Cal, n o b o d y knew
much about Bell.
In his freshman year, the pro-
gram listed him as an outside
linebacker. He saw enough ac-
tion to earn a letter-one of only
three first-year men to do so.
The next year, then-Trojan
coach John McKay put him at
the fullback slot, alongside a
fellow by the name of Anthony
Davis. Bell spent most of his
time that season clearing the
way for the All-American Davis.

Carrying the ball only 45
times, Bell still managed 299
yards. Not bad for a blocking
back, bt not exactly enough to
make Ricks Bell a housnhold
name.
With DlJtsis graduating thaC
spring, Bell saw his opportunity
and vowed to make the most of
it. The foltowing summer, he
never stopped training, and
when fall practice rolled aroid,
McKay named the virtually un-
known Bell as his starting tail-
back.
Playing tailback is some-
thing special at Southern Cal
and Bell knew it. Like the
quarterback at Notre Dame or
the- centerfielder for the New
York Yankees, the USC tail-
back must always chase le-
gends from the past. Follow-
ing the greats like 0. J. Simp-
son, Mike Garrett and Davis,
Bell faced competition both
from his opponents and fron
history.
"I couldn't have been just a
good football player," summed
sip Bell, "I had to be a great
one."
Ever since his first game as
the Southern Cal tailback, Bell
has been a great one. In fact,
he just might be the greatest.
In his opening game, Bell
See I'LL, Page 18

215 N. Main Ann Arbor 663-7758

Ir

.®..

If

Photo courtesy of University of Southern California
RICKY BELL breaks loose on another long run far the Trojans of USC. Originally a linebacker,
the 218-pound senior gained over 3500 yards in his Southern Cal career.
Ricky Bell -
C areer stats I Fa 4i l fl<..
Att yds. a ive. T
it74 40 to9 6.6 8 ~ ~ N -
195 5 16 1417 5.1 13
1976 2 .6 t14t7 n5. 1 01
Try {
Daily j
Classifiecds *irn cs
GREAT LUNCHES
AND' DINNERS
d Now Featuring
a "'Pumpkin
* Cheesecake"
GOURMET NATURAL FOOD RESTAURANT
314 E. Liberty Open 7 Days a Week
Ann Arbor, Michigan 662-2019

i
i
i

THE ONLY INDEPENDENT Pr-OD STORE IN ANN AR-OR
ALL $6.98 L.R's ONLY $ 991
caeAIG
playersT
cEsC- OuT oUaoRD SPECIALS 894-9176
1315 S. UNIVERSITY



GO BLUE!
ROSE BOWL T-SHIRTS
AND MORE M ware
Hats Sweatshirts
Jerseys Shorts
ALL AGES ALL SIZES
're ot S ob
711 N. UNIVERSITY 902 S. STATE
668-6915 668-7296