David Bell

Class of 2026

David Bell played in the first football game he ever saw in person.   He had always watched it on television but had never attended one until Sept. 8, 1972, when he played for Brewer High in a 28-0 loss at Falkville. The next morning, a photo of the dejected young player appeared on the front page of The Decatur Daily. Little did he know that the first game would ultimately lead to a 45-year career as a high school football official. 

Bell has officiated six High School Athletic Association state championship games and 14 semifinals, and recently served as the state Football Officials Coordinator. Last year he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Officials Foundation Hall of Fame, joining fellow Huntsville-Madison County Hall of Famers Ron Alexander, Ray Gargus and James Wilson in our Hall.

David attended Brewer High School and played football as well as threw the shot put and discus on the track and field team.  He attended college at the University of North Alabama and took a job in Huntsville at the Dunlop Tire manufacturing facility. One of his colleagues mentioned the possibility of becoming a high school football official and he took him up on it, seizing on it as the opportunity “to give something back to the game I loved,” he says.

In the early years, Bell worked youth leagues and middle school games to get as much experience as possible. Then after about a year and a half of grinding through the younger divisions, he finally got to work Friday night high school games.  Even after making it to the highest level of high school officiating he never forgot the younger divisions and continued to work the weekday games and mentor young officials. 

The Alabama High School Athletic Association took notice of his leadership and made him a District Director for Northeast Alabama, then the late ASHAA Director of Officials Greg Brewer made Bell the State Football Officials Coordinator.  To put this into perspective, there are roughly 200 high school football games in the state on any regular season week. Eight officials means 1,600 officials Bell was responsible for.

With all this success at the high school level, the obvious next step would be college football.  “I just didn’t want to spend the entire weekend away from my family so I decided I was OK with staying in the high school ranks.” That family includes wife Laura, sons Ryan (spouse Lindsey) and Daniel (Jenna) and daughter Chelsea Ralston (Jonathan), with grandchildren Allison Brown (Morgan), Mary, Laurie, Anne Claire, Jack, Ava, Cooper and Henry, and great-grandchildren Evie and Ellis.

“Getting to work a good game is always fun, whether it’s a Monday JV game or a Friday night regional championship game,” Bell says. “Locally, I loved the rival games, whether it was Grissom-Huntsville, Bob Jones-Decatur, or Lee-Johnson, because I knew we would have a good game.”

Working games with great high school players is another perk.  In 2016 David was the referee for the region championship game that featured current Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who was playing for Scottsboro.  The Scottsboro head coach was Bo’s dad, the former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix. The elder Nix was working the officials pretty hard.  “Bo just looked at me and said, ‘Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s always like that.’ So to have that moment in a game and then to be able to see him perform in the NFL on Sundays is really neat.”

Additionally getting to call high school games with the likes of Reggie Ragland of Bob Jones, Jerrod Powers of Decatur, and Trey Flowers of Columbia  and then getting to see them in the NFL is extremely special. 

With increased attention officials calls in all sports are now getting due to instant replay and angry parents and coaches, what made it worthwhile? 

“For me, it was the chance to see the relationships the coaches had with the players and how they were able to positively influence players who without sports, may not have anything else positive going on in their lives,” says Bell. “Those relationships were on all levels and to see it in person from a neutral perspective was very gratifying.”

-- Robin Gaines