Bell earned his nickname as a teenage pitcher in St. Louis where his unflappable demeanor on the mound caused his teammates to say he was “one cool papa!” He soon switched to centerfield where he could fully utilize his blinding speed to make plays that average outfielders could not. He was Blackball’s greatest base stealer, renowned for once going from first to home on a sacrifice bunt. Olympic great Jesse Owens refused to race against Bell, and at one point he was said to have circled the bases in a record-setting 12 seconds, though this has never been thoroughly proven. At the plate he consistently hit over .300 and played at the Negro League’s highest level well past the age of forty. Bell’s clean-living enabled him to remain a star for more than three decades, and his kindness helped inspire many youngsters to realize their dream of becoming a professional ballplayer. In 1974 he became the fifth Negro Leagues player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.