Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State track and field alumnus Earl Bell has been recognized as one of 12 inductees into the USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the organization announced Tuesday.
The five-time NCAA record holder competed for A-State over four seasons from 1974-77, winning three NCAA Outdoor Pole Vault Championships (1975, 1976, 1977) plus two NCAA Indoor Pole Vault Championships (1975, 1976) during that stretch. He earned five First Team All-American selections alongside one second team distinction during his collegiate career.
The Jonesboro native tallied three Southland Conference Championships in the pole vault. His indoor best of 5.50m (18-0.50) places fourth in program history while his outdoor best of 5.67m (18-7.25) set in 1976 stood as the program record until 2019.
During his time with the Scarlet and Black, Bell earned the first of six U.S. Championships in 1976. The title catapulted him to the Olympic stage in Montreal later that year, and he would return to the Games in 1984.
Bell earned bronze in the pole vault at the Los Angeles Games, becoming one of three Red Wolves to medal at the Olympics. He competed for the third and final time at the Seoul Games in 1988.
After retiring from competition, he established Bell Athletics outside of Jonesboro, where he coached Olympians Jeff Hartwig, Derek Miles, Kellie Suttle, and Jillian Schwartz, among other top pole vaulters. He returned to the Olympics as a coach in 2004, 2008, and 2012, joining fellow 1984 medalist Al Joyner as the only A-State athletes to compete and coach at the Games.
Bell was named the 1998 National Olympic Coach of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee, and in 2004, Bell Athletics produced half of the U.S. Olympic Pole Vaulting team at the Athens Games.
The Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame was established in 2022 to honor the best of the best in collegiate track & field and cross country. The Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of athletes who have left a lasting mark on the sport during their time in college.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 11,000 coaching members encompassing 98-percent of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and NJCAA, as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.
