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, Texas, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = 1916–1919

| player_team2 = Centre

| player_positions = End

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1920–1921

| coach_team2 = Haskell

| coach_years3 = 1922

| coach_team3 = Carroll (WI)

| coach_years4 = 1923–1928

| coach_team4 = TCU

| coach_years5 = 1929–1933

| coach_team5 = Texas A&M

| coach_years6 = 1935–1941

| coach_team6 = SMU

| coach_years7 = 1945–1949

| coach_team7 = SMU

| coach_sport8 = Basketball

| coach_years9 = 1923–1929

| coach_team9 = TCU

| admin_years1 = 1947–1964

| admin_team1 = SMU

| overall_record = 153–88–17 (football)
71–41 (basketball)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = Football
1 National (1935)
4 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, captain of its 1918 team. He served as the head football coach at the Haskell Institute (1920–1921), Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin (1922),[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 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, which have been recognized as a national champion, went 12–0 in the regular season before losing to Stanford in the 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.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. On June 12, 1942, he was sworn in as a lieutenant commander, and reported to Annapolis.June 13, 1942 press photo description.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. 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.Fullerton Jr., Hugh. [https://newspaperarchive.com/annapolis-capital-jul-26-1945-p-14/ "Sports Round Up"], The Evening Capital, Annapolis, Maryland, July 26, 1945, page 7. 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 Indians

| conf = Independent

| startyear = 1920

| endyear = 1921

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1920

| name = Haskell

| overall = 7–2–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1921

| name = 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

| conf = Independent

| startyear = 1922

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 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

| conf = Southwest Conference

| startyear = 1923

| endyear = 1928

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1923

| name = TCU

| overall = 4–5

| conference = 2–1

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1924

| name = TCU

| overall = 4–5

| conference = 1–5

| confstanding = 8th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1925

| name = TCU

| overall = 7–1–1

| conference = 2–0–1

| confstanding = 2nd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1926

| name = 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

| name = TCU

| overall = 4–3–2

| conference = 1–2–2

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1928

| name = 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

| conf = Southwest Conference

| startyear = 1929

| endyear = 1933

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1929

| name = Texas A&M

| overall = 5–4

| conference = 2–3

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1930

| name = Texas A&M

| overall = 2–7

| conference = 0–5

| confstanding = 7th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1931

| name = Texas A&M

| overall = 7–3

| conference = 3–2

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1932

| name = 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

| name = 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

| conf = Southwest Conference

| startyear = 1935

| endyear = 1941

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = national

| year = 1935

| name = SMU

| overall = 12–1

| conference = 6–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = Rose

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1936

| name = SMU

| overall = 5–4–1

| conference = 2–3–1

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1937

| name = SMU

| overall = 5–6

| conference = 2–4

| confstanding = 6th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1938

| name = SMU

| overall = 6–4

| conference = 4–2

| confstanding = 2nd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1939

| name = 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

| name = 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

| name = SMU

| overall = 5–5

| conference = 2–4

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = SMU Mustangs

| conf = Southwest Conference

| startyear = 1945

| endyear = 1949

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1945

| name = SMU

| overall = 5–6

| conference = 4–2

| confstanding = 2nd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1946

| name = 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

| name = SMU

| overall = 9–0–2

| conference = 5–0–1

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = Cotton

| bowloutcome = T

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 3

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1948

| name = SMU

| overall = 9–1–1

| conference = 5–0–1

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = Cotton

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 10

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1949

| name = 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}}