Thinking About My Boy Jerry Bell

I got up really early this morning thinking about the life of my friend Jerry Bell. I found myself listening to the Adam Sandler song about his friend Chris Farley. This led me to sit down at my computer and just type out a tribute to my boy Jerry Bell. I apologize upfront if there are typos or grammatical errors. Times like these call for pure emotion, not literary excellence. So, here goes…

My inner circle of lifetime friends closed a little on Monday when I heard the heartbreaking news that Jerry Bell had passed away. Jerry’s loss meant that my two UK roomies have left this world far too soon. Joey Couch and Jerry Bell were my boys. Friends to the literal end, we shared many commonalities but more differences. Those dudes were nasty defensive linemen. I played quarterback. That combination rarely mixes in the inner belly of college football locker rooms. But we made it work. The stories that former Cats have about Bell are more suited for a tailgate gathering than a sports blog. But, I thought I’d share a few. 

The Frog Gig and Big Mac

You must take yourself back to the late 1980s to understand our initial interaction. There was no internet. Cell phones didn’t exist, or at least I had never seen one. I’d read about Jerry Bell from DeSales High School out of Louisville. He was a mammoth defensive lineman who almost went to Michigan but signed with Kentucky. Pictures did Jerry no justice. He stood 6’4″ and weighed about 280 back then. We both made the all-state team circuit in the papers. But remember, social media didn’t exist. There was very little, if any, communication with signees like there is today. 

I graduated from Cumberland High School on a Saturday before departing for Lexington and my college football career on Sunday. Coach Terry Strock sold me on the idea of reporting for summer workouts to get a leg up on other freshmen and to become acclimated to college life. I was to live in an apartment off Lyndhurst and my roommate was going to be Jerry Bell. The apartment was tiny, roughly the size of a two-star, two-bed hotel room. Man, was my life ever going to change. 

I made the four-hour drive to Lexington and nervously drove around New Circle Road lost for a few hours. I was already homesick. After arriving at our minuscule living quarters, I organized what little stuff I brought with me from the mountains and was told that Bell would arrive after working at a horse farm cutting weeds all day. I sat and then paced, waiting to meet my roomie. I then began to hear LL Cool J’s “I’m Bad” blasting in the parking lot. Looking over the second-floor ledge, I saw a 1975 Aztec Gold hot rod pull into the parking lot. This giant of a man exited the loud, smoking vehicle. Bell seemed to get larger and larger as he walked up the steps to our summer home. He was sunburned and covered with grass clippings from manning a weed eater all day in the hot sun. 

Jerry Bell entered my life as he walked through the door to our apartment. This dude was huge. I mean, the biggest person I’d ever seen in my life huge. He looked at me and put a frog gig to my throat and said, “Touch my sh*# and I’ll kill you.” As you can imagine, I froze and was speechless. I couldn’t back down, right? I had to stand my ground. He then laughed, hugged me, and said, “Nice to meet you haus. Let’s go to McDonald’s.” A lifetime of friendship started with a frog gig and about ten Big Macs. Man, I loved that dude. 

The Teddy Bear 

There will only be one Jerry Bell, ever. But, within Bell were a couple of different versions of himself. One is a rough and tough D-tackle that relished in inflicting pain on opponents. The dude absolutely hated quarterbacks with a passion. I guess that’s one of the many things that made our friendship so odd. Jerry was the team’s enforcer. If the targeting rule had been in place in those days, Goat (As we affectionately called him) would have played roughly one quarter in four seasons. 

*Note: Goat was a nickname given to Bell for his stomach and propensity to eat any and everything after a night on the town. Thus, a stomach of a goat, not the “Greatest Of All Time”. Get it?

The other side of Jerry was beautiful. He never met a stranger and was a big teddy bear. He could often be seen entertaining fans of all ages and never turned down the opportunity to meet and greet the Big Blue Nation. Asking Bell for an autograph was a confirmation of the stardom that he craved. We all did, don’t let anybody lie to you about that. 

He was great with kids. I think the little ones were amazed at his sheer size but his personality was even bigger. Jerry volunteered to help the youth around Fayette County and was a mentor to several through a program organized by CATS. 

The Emmitt Smith Hit and “Injury” 

Florida running back Emmitt Smith was a big deal around the SEC in the late 80s. Remember, Jerry Bell did not like offensive players. Period. While quarterbacks were his most hated adversary, he despised running backs as well. There is a video clip of Bell destroying Smith in Commonwealth Stadium. He celebrated that hit for what seemed like twenty minutes. I can remember him coming to the sideline after the series and asking me if I saw the hit. Of course, I did, but I had to tell him no to get a rise from the overly zealous defender. 

Oh, the stories. I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you the details. There is one more that I do have to share. So, Joey Couch and I had been getting a great deal of press and camera time. That infuriated Jerry. Remember, he never met a camera that he didn’t like. We’re playing Georgia at home. We won that game by the way. Jerry told us during the week leading up to the Saturday night contest that he was going to fake an injury so he could get some TV time as he was helped off the field. The third quarter came along and it was time for the award-winning actor to have his time in the spotlight. Sure enough, there lay Bell on the turf grabbing his ankle. Couch and I looked at each other and started laughing. We walked over to where the athletic trainers were working on his “injured” ankle and he looked at us and winked. The Goat had pulled off the old “fake injury to get talked about on television” caper. 

Lost Him Twice 

Decades back, I was in the Army and stationed in Georgia when I got the call. Jerry had been in an accident and he wasn’t going to make it. At first, I was hoping it was another “Georgia” stunt and the person on the phone was going to tell me it was a joke; it wasn’t. I flew to Louisville on emergency leave. The doctors told me to say goodbye to my friend. Joey rushed to the hospital. It was bad. Real bad. 

We stayed with him as long as possible. The prognosis was that he had days to live, maybe. I left Louisville under the assumption that my friend had passed away. He didn’t. Jerry somehow survived and lived his second act with as much passion as his first. Dawn frequently brought Jerry around the UK Football team and the Goat inspired a whole new generation of Wildcats. 

I’d often see Jerry around the stadium, at practice, and at alumni events. It was hard for me to see him in a wheelchair and unable to speak. At times, I selfishly would cut our time a little short because it hurt seeing him that way. Hurt me, how incredibly narcissistic. I regret not hugging him one last time. I found out about Jerry’s passing on Twitter. Imagine that, how the circle of life is rounded out by a social media post. 

Goodbye, Old Friend 

I’m writing this post as a former player and Jerry’s friend, not as a media member; there is no objectivity in my words. I love Mark Stoops for many reasons. He’s “OUR” coach. No matter if you’re a Claiborne or Brooks guy, Stoops is our man. He’s done a phenomenal job mending fences and bonding generations of Cats regardless of graduation year. Stoops called to offer support. UK posted tributes to Jerry this week. That made my heart hurt a little less. Bell would have loved that as much as he loved everything that is Big Blue. Jerry was a social person. He especially enjoyed telling old football stories and being around football dudes. I took him to Knoxville to get his Tasmanian Devil tattoo that has a Power K on the character’s chest. 

His passing has united Calvin Taylor with Andy Murray. Landon Young will be connected to Darren Bilberry through a celebration of Jerry’s life. Bell has played a major role in connecting eras. He’d be proud of that. I’m proud of that for him. 

While at our strongest as college football players, Joey, Jerry, and I often joked about who’d be the last standing. We lost Joey on December 15, 2017. Jerry passed on March 28, 2022. Sadly, I’m the last. We all have that core inner circle of friends that love unconditionally. Mine is closing. I sat back in the mountains this week thinking about the times we had and what Joey and Jerry meant to me and the way we looked at life in our teens and early twenties. I also pondered how I could honor them in my life. All three of us have enjoyed good times and fought through struggles. One thing that remained constant was love. Love for each other and for the Wildcats. 

I miss Joey. I’m going to miss Jerry. Love the ones you love. Our journey through life goes by fast, man. I owe it to Joey and Jerry to keep the memories and stories that we share alive. Their passing has taught me to not wait to call and check in on old friends. We aren’t promised tomorrow. 

Former teammates have been calling and texting each other this week, many times sharing old Jerry stories which has made me laugh and cry. That makes me proud. It also makes me happy because I know that’s exactly what Jerry would have wanted. Rest easy, Haus.