Mickey Bell - Head Football Coach
Coach Mickey Bell is in his 5th season as head football coach at Glendale CC. He's been at GCC since 2001, coaching under Joe Kersting as the Defensive Coordinator. During this same time frame, Coach Bell has also been an academic advisor for student-athletes as well as other students here on campus.
In his first season coaching, the Gauchos finished with a 6-4 record and in '08 finished 9-2, while being ranked 9th in the National Poll (released 10/8/08). The 2009 and 2010 teams appeared in and won the Valley of the Sun Bowl. Those teams went 7-5 and 8-3 and finished #19 and #15 respectively
Coach Bell was an integral part of the coaching staff that led the Gauchos to their last National Championship in 2005.
The team is compiled every year of mainly local talent and with some talented players from across the country. The football program prides itself on helping students-athletes be successful here and in their future. Recent players have gone on to play football at Arizona State, Northern Arizona, Sam Houston State, West Virginia, and Fayetteville State, Utah St, Boise St, Oregon St, SEMO and many many more succesful four-year programs.
Coach Bell has one full time assistant, J.D. Sollars (former OC at Weber St, Eastern Washington and NAU), and several part time assistants. The coaching staff puts in long hours and hard work in order to continue the winning tradition in Glendale.
Coach Bell is a product of the program he is now coaching. He played football for Glendale CC in 1981-82 under Chuck Zontanos. He then went on to play at Utah State University. Bell was a running back/receiver in his playing days and particpated in the NFL Combine. In Utah, he was the recipient of the Joe E Whiteside Award, which recognized him as the most outstanding scholar athlete at the university. Coach Bell graduated from Utah State in 1986 with a B.S. in Geology. He decided to play in the European League and made his home in Italy over the next eight years. Coach Bell played in the league the first four years and started his coaching career during the next four. When he returned to the U.S., Coach Bell got a job teaching physical education and coaching football at Agua Fria High School (1997-00). During this time, he went back to school and received his M.A. in Counseling from N.A.U. in 2002.
Outside of his love for football, Coach Bell is a family man and enjoys cooking for his players and friends. He has been married to his wife Tricia since 2001 and they reside in Glendale with the rest of their family; Igia, Cassy, Bear, Junior, and Tiger.
