FOOTBALL

Former Highland Cavalier tight end signs with arena team
March 16, 2005

WISE, Va. – A former standout tight end from the early days of UVa-Wise football is now getting paid to catch passes for the Peoria Rough Riders of the United Indoor Football league.

Shonn Bell, who shined for the Highland Cavaliers in the early 90s, will play his first game with the Peoria indoor squad Thursday night when the Rough Riders open the season on the road in Ohio against the Dayton Warbirds.

Bell played four years at UVa-Wise and had his best seasons during his junior and senior years at the College. The Stuarts Draft native tied for the team lead with 39 catches during his junior campaign in 1994. He scored eight touchdowns that year and had 573 yards receiving.

A year later, Bell helped carry the Cavaliers to a 10-2 record and a berth in the NAIA national playoffs, a first for the young UVa-Wise football program that had its genesis in 1991. The tight end caught 28 passes for 403 yards and six touchdowns in helping UVa-Wise finish 12th in the NAIA’s national Top 25 poll.

After leaving UVa-Wise, Bell spent time in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings. He also has played overseas in NFL Europe.

Bell’s newest club, Peoria, is in its seventh year of existence, but in its inaugural season in the UIF. The Rough Riders won three championships while in the AF2 arena league before moving to the UIF.

Bell, who wears No. 82 for the Rough Riders, most likely will be Peoria’s starting tight end.

“Shonn is doing really well here with the team and is in great shape,” Jim Preston, Peoria’s director of media relations said. “Just watching him you can tell that he has experience playing in the upper levels.”

Fans who want to track Bell’s progress throughout the season can do so by clicking on the Rough Rider’s official Web site at www.peoriaroughriders.com.

Copyright UVa-Wise Athletics 2005