Jeff Bell
Jeff Bell was an outstanding athlete at Grove City High School who went on to coach his alma mater teams in multiple sports.
He earned 7 letters in football and wrestling at GCHS and captained both teams his senior year. He was named to the Northwest Football Conference All-Star Team in both his junior and senior seasons and as a senior was voted the prestigious Jiggs Wolford Award.
In football, he was part of a great turnaround in Grove City College fortunes. As a freshman he helped the Wolverines break the longest losing streak in the NCAA and the team finished 6-3 his junior and senior years.
Jeff coached football and wrestling at Mercer High in 1977, then returned to Grove City High for a long coaching career. He served as assistant wrestling coach from 1978 to 1985 and coached numerous district, regional and state qualifiers including his brother Michael, a state runner-up and champion.
He began coaching football at GCHS in 1995, first as assistant to Claire Altemus for three years. He became head coach in 1997 and that year played in the first of five District 10 title games, winning two titles as well as 10 region or county crowns. In 2004, his team finished state runner-up, the first state championship appearance in GCHS history. He finished with 115 victories, most in school history. He was D-10 Coach of the Year in 2004 and Big 22 Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011, both undefeated seasons. He was West Penn Coaches Association Coach of the Year five times. Jeff coached baseball at Grove City High and in the Grove City Little League, where he served as president. He coached three teams to state.