Memorable Moments: Celebrating 50 years since Ding, Dong and Tinker Bell

Those who are not familiar with Colorado State football in the 1970s likely will not recognize the nicknames of three of the finest Rams to play. If you were at CSU from 1975 to 1978, then you would definitely know who Mike "Ding" Bell, Mark E. "Dong" Bell and Mark R. "Tinker" Bell were. Two of them, Mike and Mark E. were twin brothers from Kansas, while the third, Mark R. Bell, was of no relation. The outstanding play by these three Rams helped bring CSU football out of the bottom of the conference and into the national spotlight.

The Bell brothers came from Wichita, Kans., where Mike was an outstanding all-state honoree at Bishop Carroll High School. The two brothers were heavily recruited in their final year of high school by several Big 8 schools and by the local Wichita State team. However, few schools wanted to offer both brothers scholarships. Schools wanted Mark to walk-on if they offered Mike a scholarship, but the Bell family wanted both boys to go with no conditions.

After pressure from local schools like Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Kansas, Mike and Mark's father wanted his boys to make their choice on their own with the only stipulation that they go together. At the time of signing day, only Wichita State and Colorado State had offered both Mike and Mark a scholarship to play football. Their father locked them in their room to make the decision and CSU was the choice.

Mark R. "Tinker" Bell came from Lynwood, Calif., and decided to attend CSU because he was excited offensive coordinator Doug Gerhart played a pro-style offense. In 1974 while Tinker was being recruited, the Rams' Mark Driscoll and Willie Miller ranked as one of the best duos in the country and Tinker wanted to play in that offense with Driscoll returning.

In interviews with both Mike Bell and Mark "Tinker" Bell in 2012, and 2013, they reminisced about what it was like to have the three Bells on the team. Tinker said, "Murphy's Law was in full effect, 'If it could go wrong, it would go wrong.' Asking for the wrong player, lining up in the wrong positions, carrying out the wrong assignments, handing out the wrong gear. Even Ma Bell at the games would claim me as her son (something wrong with that picture although bless her heart). Although he was 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, while I was 5-9 and 170, for a time there our names meant a whole lot more, the problem was we just had to figure out what? Then it really got confusing when offense scrimmaged against defense and you brought Mike Bell into the equation. Now we're MB (3) cubed."

That confusion was met with the best CSU football since Fum McGraw played for the Rams. The next three years were winning seasons, the longest stretch of winning football in Fort Collins since 1948-1952. On offense, you had "Tinker" at wide receiver, "Dong" at tight end and "Ding" at defensive tackle.

Mike shined the most, teaming up with CSU legend Al "Bubba" Baker to form the "Mean Green" defense of the 1970s. That unit helped carry those winning teams and filled Hughes Stadium with fans who were there to watch good football and no longer line the wall with booze bottles, as had been the tradition prior to their arrival. In 1975, Mike only recorded eight tackles, but by the 1977 season when the Rams went 9-2-1, Mike recorded 103 tackles and 15 sacks.

On offense, Tinker Bell also improved in his career with 160 yards and 2 touchdowns in 1975 and 797 yards and nine touchdowns in 1977. Not to be outdone, the other Mark Bell had improved his receiving yards from 39 in 1976 to 103 in 1977. While these three Bells did not carry the team, they all helped to guide them in the 1970s.

Mike was without question the most outstanding and well-known player of the three, receiving national awards like the lineman of the week after an incredible performance against Arizona on Nov. 19, 1977. He said in 2013, "They came to Fort Collins on a snowy day. I remember they could not block me. They tried to double team me; it didn't work. They tried three different guards on me; it didn't work. I just remember being in their backfield all day, one of the most memorable days for me as a Ram."

His four sacks in that Arizona game remained a school record for a game until Guy Miller broke it in 2010. Mike received Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Collegiate Athlete of the year honors in 1977 and was named a second-team All-American, which carried him into the 1978 season as an Outland Trophy nominee. A knee injury dampened his 1978 season, but six different organizations named him to their All-America teams, making him a consensus All-American.

Mark E., Mike's brother, and Mark R., the beloved Tinker Bell of CSU, did not see the same national or even all-conference honors as Mike, but their play was key to the 1977 season. All three went on to play in the NFL: Mark E, with Seattle, Mark "Tinker" with the St. Louis Cardinals and then Mike, the second overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft, played for the Kansas City Chiefs for 13 seasons.

Mike, who held the all-time sack record at CSU from 1977 to 1995, summed up his CSU career by saying, "I just always tell people that my time at CSU were the greatest days of my life. Playing for KC was fantastic, but nothing compares to the time I was in Fort Collins. I love CSU and everything about it; I am a Ram for life."

The three Bells of CSU helped transform Rams football from losers to contenders. When asked in 2012 about their unique nicknames, Mark R., said, "One day at practice I just spoke up and said, 'hey, just call me Tinker.' Tinker Bell, it's what they called me back home. I believe one of the defense coaches (Charley Armey) said, yeah, 'and we could call Mike Ding and Mark E. Dong.' The rest is now history."

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results