Dean Bell

Dean Bell

Personal information
Full name	Dean Cameron Bell
Nickname	'Deano', 'Mean Dean'
Born	29 April 1962 (1962-04-29) (age 49) New Zealand
Playing information
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	90kg
Position	Wing, Centre, Loose forward
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
19??	Manukau
1982–1983	Carlisle
1983–1984	Leeds	22	5	0	0	20
1984–1986	Easts (Sydney)	42	8	0	0	36
1986–1994	Wigan	253	96	0	0	384
1995	Auckland Warriors	19	3	0	0	12
1996	Leeds Rhinos	1	0	0	0	0
	Total	337	112	0	0	452
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
19??	Auckland
19??	New Zealand Māori
1983–1989	New Zealand	26	15	0	0	60
1987	South Island	1	0	0	0	0
1988	Rest of the World	1	0	0	0	0
Coaching information
Club
Years	Team	Gms	W	D	L	W%
1996–1997	Leeds Rhinos	44	19	1	24	43
Source: Yesterday's Hero

Dean Bell is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer and coach. A New Zealand international representative centre, he played his club football in England, Australia and New Zealand, but most notably with Wigan, with whom he won seven consecutive Challenge Cup finals, a Lance Todd Trophy and a Man of Steel Award. He later coached English club Leeds for two seasons. He is a member of the famous Bell rugby league family that includes George, Ian, Cameron and Cathy,Glenn Bell Kurtis Dean Bell and Clayton Friend.

Playing career

Bell began his career in 1979 playing for the Manukau Magpies in the Auckland Rugby League competition.

Bell then moved to England in August 1982, playing for Carlisle and Leeds over the next two seasons.^[1] At the end of the 1983/84 season he joined Eastern Suburbs in Australia, playing 42 games for them over the next three seasons. In 1987 Bell was a guest player for the South Island in a match against Auckland.^[2] In 1986 he joined Wigan, where he was to experience his greatest success. While at Wigan, Bell became a Seven-time Challenge Cup winner (including three as captain), a Six-time Rugby Football League Championship winner, a One-time World Sevens winner, a Five-time John Player Trophy winner, a Two-time RFL Premiership winner and a Four-time Lancashire Cup winner. During the 1992–93 Rugby Football League season Bell played at centre for defending RFL champions Wigan in the 1992 World Club Challenge against the visiting Brisbane Broncos.

Bell also won the Man of Steel award in 1992 and the Lance Todd Trophy in 1993. Bell was later inducted into the Wigan Warriors Hall of Fame.

In 1995 Bell left Wigan, returning home to join coach John Monie at the new Auckland Warriors club. Bell became the Club's first captain and led the team out in their inaugural match.

During his career he captained Wigan, the Auckland Warriors and the New Zealand national team.

Representative career

While playing in the Auckland Rugby League competition Bell made the Auckland side. In 1983 he toured England with the New Zealand Māori team before making his debut for New Zealand that same year. In his debut match he played alongside his uncle Ian Bell and his cousin Clayton Friend.^[3] He went on to play 26 tests for his country, retiring from international football early in 1989.

Bell picked up several honours while playing for his country, including being the NZRL Player of the Year in 1987 and winning the NZ Māori Sports Personality of the Year in 1994. He was later made a member of the NZRL's Immortals and inducted as one of the NZRL's Legends of League^[4] in 2000. He is an Auckland Rugby League Immortal.^[5]

Coaching and Management career

Bell returned to Leeds in 1996 as coach but ended up playing in one match as player-coach. He remained the first grade coach in 1997 before accepting a two year job as the head of the Academy team.

During the 2000 World Cup he was the assistant Coach of the Aotearoa Māori side, working under his dad Cameron Bell.^[6]

In 2000 he returned to Wigan to head the youth development programme for seven years before being appointed the New Zealand Warriors Development Manager in August 2007.

Bell became the manager for the Warriors Under-20's side in the Toyota Cup and at the end of the 2009 season Bell was promoted by the Warriors to be their new Recruitment and Development Manager.^[7]

In 2008 Bell was made the New Zealand Kiwis football manager.^[8]

Other achievements

Bell was also the feature of an episode of the show This is Your Life.

References

1. ^ Friend makes British debut TotalRL.com, 25 August 2007
2. ^ Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 9781869693664, p.269.
3. ^ John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. pp. 222. ISBN 1869693310, 9781869693312. http://books.google.com/books?id=nklWo8vw-iIC&printsec=frontcover. 
4. ^ "New Zealand Rugby League Annual Report 2008" (pdf). NZRL. 2008. http://www.nzrl.co.nz/files/financials/nzrl_2008annualreport_part1.pdf. Retrieved 2009-07-21. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ Stacey Jones, Auckland Rugby League Immortal est1995.co.nz, 21 September 2003
6. ^ Coffey and Wood The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League ISBN 1-86971-090-8
7. ^ Deane, Steve (25 September 2009). "NRL: Bell wins leading role at Warriors". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10599491&ref=rss. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 
8. ^ "Dean Bell handed Kiwis role". Stuff.co.nz. 16 February 2008. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/272850. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 

External links

• Dean Bell Wigan Playing Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.
• Dean Bell Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
• Profile at leedsrugby.co.uk

Persondata
Name	Bell, Dean
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	29 April 1962
Place of birth	New Zealand
Date of death
Place of death