Florida high school football team hires new coach 27 years after his last game

A Florida high school football team will be hiring one of the state’s most respected figures as their head coach. Florida Coaches Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Bell will be taking over the Leon High School football program. The third time’s the charm because Leon offered the role to two men who both declined the position.

The younger generation might know Bell for his administrative tasks. After retiring as Leon County athletic director in 2020, he served as operations director for Munroe Day School. Bell also served on the Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors under Governor Ron DeSantis’ appointment.

This time, per the Tallahassee Democrat’s Jim Henry, Leon hired Bell as a coach, earning him a supplement of $4,026. Bell has decades of coaching experience with stops at Wakulla County, Quincy Shanks, Leon, and Rickards.

He’s back in the game!@LeonLionsFB has a new head coach, and it’s a face familiar with the community.

Ricky Bell will head the program. It’s his second stint with the Lions, he spent nine years with the program as an assistant coach. pic.twitter.com/oMIri2weUm

— Alison Posey (@AlisonPosey14) January 30, 2025

Coincidentally, his first victory as head coach came against Leon in 1983. Meanwhile, his last victory as head coach was also against Leon in 1998. Meanwhile, Bell became an assistant coach for the Lions under head coach Gene Cox, helping the team become state championship runners-up in 1992.

While Florida high school football coaches typically report to their athletic director, Bell has a different arrangement. He will report to Leon Principal Michael Bryan instead of Riley Bell, his son and Leon’s athletic director.

Outside of high school football, Bell once served as offensive coordinator of the city’s arena football team, the Tallahassee Thunder. In 2025, he will take over a team that has struggled to compete recently.

Henry added that Leon had four winning records in the last 20 years. Likewise, the Lions last appeared in the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs a decade ago. Last season, Leon’s football team went 1-9, winning their finale against Westside 45-21. Before that breakthrough victory, the Lions scored in double digits only once during their 19 losses.