Dover (June 5, 2009) --- Delaware State University Men's Assistant Track and Field coach Charlie Bell has been honored for his contributions to the sport in the First State. Bell was presented with the Jim Blades Service Award at the 27th Annual Delaware Track & Field Banquet in New Castle last evening. Blades, a long-time coach and athletics director at Lake Forest High School in Felton, Del., was a pillar in the state track and field community. The service award was re-named to honor Blades following his death in 2004.
Bell has nearly 40 years of coaching cross country and track & field in Delaware. His boys and girls teams at Dover Air Force Base and Caesar Rodney high schools combined to win 23 Henlopen Conference meet championships. In 2001 and '02, Bell led Caesar Rodney's girls to back-to-back Division I state titles. A native of Laurel, Del., Bell was named Henlopen Coach-of-the-Year a total of 18 times and State Coach-of-the-Year three times.
He was a teacher at Dover Air Force Base for 34 years before retiring in 2002.
This outdoor track & field season, Bell has helped lead Delaware State runners to three events in the 2009 NCAA National Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., next week. The Hornets will compete for All-America honors and national championships in the 800-meter run, 400-meter hurdles and the 1600-meter relay.
