were winless in their first season in 1976. Bell signed a five-year contract for a reported $1.2 million, by far the richest contract ever signed by an NFL rookie. This draft choice was somewhat controversial because Tony Dorsett was being projected as an arguably better back than Bell. Bell's selection was not a surprise, however, because Tampa Bay was coached by John McKay, Bell's former head coach at USC through 1975. After a couple mediocre seasons, in 1979, Bell enjoyed his finest season, rushing for 1,263 yards and leading the Buccaneers to the championship of the NFC Central Division. He led the Buccaneers to their first playoff win in franchise history that season by rushing for 142 yards on 38 carries scoring two touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles. The team fell one game short of a trip to Super Bowl XIV, ending their season by losing to the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC championship. In March 1982, McKay sent him to the San Diego Chargers, but suffering from weight loss, aching muscles, and severe skin problems, he retired before the 1983 season. Death Bell died at age 29 of heart failure caused by dermatomyositis. Mario Van Peebles portrayed the player in the 1991 made-for-television movie, A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story, which was based on the life of Ricky Bell. Bell's remains were interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. He was survived by his wife, Natalia; his 10-year-old son, Ricky, Jr., a 3-year-old daughter, Noell, and his mother, Ruth, brothers Archie Bell, Lee Bell and Jerry Bell. Honors Bell was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. See also List of college football yearly rushing leaders References External links Sports Reference - college football - Ricky Bell 1955 births 1984 deaths All-American college football players American football running backs Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery College Football Hall of Fame inductees National Football League first-overall draft picks San Diego Chargers players Players of American football from Houston Tampa Bay Buccaneers players USC Trojans football players John C. Fremont High School alumni Deaths from autoimmune disease