View source for Matty Bell

{{short description|American football player (1899-1983)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Matty Bell
| image = Matty_Bell.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1899|2|22}}
| birth_place = [[Fort Worth, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1983|6|30|1899|2|22}}
| death_place = [[Dallas|Dallas, Texas]], U.S.
| alma_mater = 
| player_sport1 = Football
| player_years2 = 1916–1919
| player_team2 = [[Centre Colonels football|Centre]]
| player_positions = [[End (gridiron football)|End]]
| coach_sport1 = Football
| coach_years2 = 1920–1921
| coach_team2 = [[Haskell Indian Nations Fighting Indians football|Haskell]]
| coach_years3 = 1922
| coach_team3 = [[Carroll Pioneers football|Carroll (WI)]]
| coach_years4 = 1923–1928
| coach_team4 = [[TCU Horned Frogs football|TCU]]
| coach_years5 = 1929–1933
| coach_team5 = [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M]]
| coach_years6 = 1935–1941
| coach_team6 = [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU]]
| coach_years7 = 1945–1949
| coach_team7 = SMU
| coach_sport8 = Basketball
| coach_years9 = 1923–1929
| coach_team9 = [[TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball|TCU]]
| admin_years1 = 1947–1964
| admin_team1 = [[SMU Mustangs|SMU]]
| overall_record = 153–88–17 (football)<br>71–41 (basketball)
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 
| championships = Football<br>1 [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National]] (1935)<br>4 [[Southwest Conference|SWC]] (1935, 1940, 1947–1948)
| awards = 
| coaching_records = 
| CFBHOF_year = 1955
| CFBHOF_id = 1618
}}

'''William Madison''' "'''Matty'''" '''Bell''' (February 22, 1899 – June 30, 1983) was an [[American football]] player, coach of football and [[basketball]], and college athletics administrator. He played for [[Centre Colonels football|Centre]], captain of its 1918 team. He served as the head football coach at the [[Haskell Indian Nations University|Haskell Institute]] (1920–1921), [[Carroll University|Carroll College]] in [[Waukesha, Wisconsin]] (1922),<ref>[http://athletics.carrollu.edu/geninfo/pdf/2009-2010/Football_SeasonBySeason_Results.pdf Carroll University Athletics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811232413/http://athletics.carrollu.edu/geninfo/pdf/2009-2010/Football_SeasonBySeason_Results.pdf |date=August 11, 2011 }} Season-by-season football results</ref> [[Texas Christian University]] (1923–1928), [[Texas A&M University]] (1929–1933), and [[Southern Methodist University]] (1935–1941, 1945–1949), compiling a career [[college football]] record of 147–88–17. His [[1935 SMU Mustangs football team|1935 SMU Mustangs]], which have been recognized as a [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|national champion]], went 12–0 in the regular season before losing to [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford]] in the [[1936 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]]. Bell was also the head basketball coach at Texas Christian for six seasons from 1923 to 1929, tallying a mark of 71–41. He was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] as a coach in 1955. After retiring from coaching following the 1949 season, Bell served as the [[athletic director]] at Southern Methodist until 1964. He died in 1983 in [[Dallas]].

==Navy service==
During World War II, Bell took a leave of absence from coaching to serve in the aviation branch of the [[United States Naval Reserve]] from 1942 to 1945.<ref>Billford, Andrew. [https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbebf "Bell, William Madison 'Matty'"], ''Handbook of Texas Online'', published by the Texas State Historical Association, uploaded on June 12, 2010, modified on September 28, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2020.</ref> On June 12, 1942, he was sworn in as a [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]], and reported to [[United States Naval Academy|Annapolis]].<ref>June 13, 1942 press photo description.</ref><ref>''[[Oakland Tribune]]''. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16305264/matty-bell-lawson-from-standofrd-head/ "Matty Bell to Leave S.M.U. for Navy Work"], June 12, 1942, page D 29.</ref> Subsequently, he became the athletic director at the Navy Pre-Flight School on the campus of the [[University of Georgia]] and rose to the rank of [[Commander (United States)|commander]].<ref>Fullerton Jr., Hugh. [https://newspaperarchive.com/annapolis-capital-jul-26-1945-p-14/ "Sports Round Up"], ''[[The Capital|The Evening Capital]]'', Annapolis, Maryland, July 26, 1945, page 7.</ref> After the war, he returned to SMU as head coach.

==Head coaching record==
===Football===
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = AP }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Haskell Indian Nations Fighting Indians football|Haskell Indians]]
 | conf      = Independent
 | startyear = 1920
 | endyear   = 1921
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1920 college football season|1920]]
 | name         = [[1920 Haskell Indians football team|Haskell]]
 | overall      = 7–2–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1921 college football season|1921]]
 | name         = [[1921 Haskell Indians football team|Haskell]]
 | overall      = 5–4
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Haskell
 | overall    = 14–6–1
 | confrecord = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Carroll Pioneers football|Carroll Pioneers]]
 | conf      = Independent
 | startyear = 1922
 | endyear   = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1922 college football season|1922]]
 | name         = Carroll
 | overall      = 3–4
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Carroll
 | overall    = 3–4
 | confrecord = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[TCU Horned Frogs football|TCU Horned Frogs]]
 | conf      = [[Southwest Conference]]
 | startyear = 1923
 | endyear   = 1928
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1923 college football season|1923]]
 | name         = [[1923 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]
 | overall      = 4–5
 | conference   = 2–1
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1924 college football season|1924]]
 | name         = [[1924 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]
 | overall      = 4–5
 | conference   = 1–5
 | confstanding = 8th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1925 college football season|1925]]
 | name         = [[1925 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]
 | overall      = 7–1–1
 | conference   = 2–0–1
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1926 college football season|1926]]
 | name         = [[1926 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]
 | overall      = 6–1–2
 | conference   = 1–1–2
 | confstanding = T–3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1927 college football season|1927]]
 | name         = [[1927 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]
 | overall      = 4–3–2
 | conference   = 1–2–2
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1928 college football season|1928]]
 | name         = [[1928 TCU Horned Frogs football team|TCU]]
 | overall      = 8–2
 | conference   = 3–2
 | confstanding = T–3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = TCU
 | overall    = 33–17–5
 | confrecord = 10–11–5
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M Aggies]]
 | conf      = [[Southwest Conference]]
 | startyear = 1929
 | endyear   = 1933
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1929 college football season|1929]]
 | name         = [[1929 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]
 | overall      = 5–4
 | conference   = 2–3
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1930 college football season|1930]]
 | name         = [[1930 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]
 | overall      = 2–7
 | conference   = 0–5
 | confstanding = 7th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1931 college football season|1931]]
 | name         = [[1931 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]
 | overall      = 7–3
 | conference   = 3–2
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1932 college football season|1932]]
 | name         = [[1932 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]
 | overall      = 4–4–2
 | conference   = 1–2–2
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1933 college football season|1933]]
 | name         = [[1933 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]
 | overall      = 6–3–1
 | conference   = 2–2–1
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Texas A&M
 | overall    = 24–21–3
 | confrecord = 8–14–3
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU Mustangs]]
 | conf      = [[Southwest Conference]]
 | startyear = 1935
 | endyear   = 1941
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = national
 | year         = [[1935 college football season|1935]]
 | name         = [[1935 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 12–1
 | conference   = 6–0
 | confstanding = 1st
 | bowlname     = [[1936 Rose Bowl|Rose]]
 | bowloutcome  = L
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1936 college football season|1936]]
 | name         = [[1936 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 5–4–1
 | conference   = 2–3–1
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1937 college football season|1937]]
 | name         = [[1937 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 5–6
 | conference   = 2–4
 | confstanding = 6th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1938 college football season|1938]]
 | name         = [[1938 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 6–4
 | conference   = 4–2
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1939 college football season|1939]]
 | name         = [[1939 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 6–3–1
 | conference   = 4–2
 | confstanding = T–2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1940 college football season|1940]]
 | name         = [[1940 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 8–1–1
 | conference   = 5–1
 | confstanding = T–1st
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 16
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1941 college football season|1941]]
 | name         = [[1941 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 5–5
 | conference   = 2–4
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU Mustangs]]
 | conf      = [[Southwest Conference]]
 | startyear = 1945
 | endyear   = 1949
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1945 college football season|1945]]
 | name         = [[1945 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 5–6
 | conference   = 4–2
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1946 college football season|1946]]
 | name         = [[1946 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 4–5–1
 | conference   = 2–4
 | confstanding = T–5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1947 college football season|1947]]
 | name         = [[1947 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 9–0–2
 | conference   = 5–0–1
 | confstanding = 1st
 | bowlname     = [[1948 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton]]
 | bowloutcome  = T
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 3
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1948 college football season|1948]]
 | name         = [[1948 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 9–1–1
 | conference   = 5–0–1
 | confstanding = 1st
 | bowlname     = [[1949 Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton]]
 | bowloutcome  = W
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 10
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1949 college football season|1949]]
 | name         = [[1949 SMU Mustangs football team|SMU]]
 | overall      = 5–4–1
 | conference   = 2–3–1
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      =
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = SMU
 | overall    = 79–40–8
 | confrecord = 43–25–4
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 153–88–17
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = 
 | polltype = Rankings from final [[AP Poll]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{College Football HoF|1618}}
 
{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Haskell Indian Nations Fighting Indians football coach navbox}}
{{Carroll Pioneers football coach navbox}}
{{TCU Horned Frogs football coach navbox}}
{{TCU Horned Frogs basketball coach navbox}}
{{Texas A&M Aggies football coach navbox}}
{{SMU Mustangs football coach navbox}}
{{SMU Mustangs athletic director navbox}}
{{1919 Centre Praying Colonels football navbox}}
{{1935 SMU Mustangs football navbox}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Madison}}
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:American football ends]]
[[Category:Carroll Pioneers football coaches]]
[[Category:Centre Colonels football players]]
[[Category:Haskell Indian Nations Fighting Indians football coaches]]
[[Category:SMU Mustangs athletic directors]]
[[Category:SMU Mustangs football coaches]]
[[Category:Texas A&M Aggies football coaches]]
[[Category:TCU Horned Frogs football coaches]]
[[Category:TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States Navy reservists]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Fort Worth, Texas]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from Texas]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from Texas]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Texas]]
[[Category:Presidents of the American Football Coaches Association]]