Commuters driving on northbound M24 past Silverbell may have noticed a familiar face staring down at them.
As part of winning The Detroit Lions 2010 High School Coach of the year, two bill boards – one near Ford Field and one in Lake Orion – have been decorated with Bell’s face.
‘It’s a little overkill in my book, but its a nice honor,? said Bell. ‘I just hope that my players and my staff are proud, because it’s because of their efforts that my mug is put up there.
‘The head coach gets a lot of credit on a successful football team, but it’s their efforts that got me there.?
Bell added that in general, people have been very complimentary about the honor. He also mentioned how it was garnering a ‘a lot of positive recognition for the high school.?
Bell was the head coach of the Division 1 State Champion Lake Orion Varsity Football team, which defeated Plymouth on November 27 with a score of 21-13. The championship, which came at the end of a 13-1 record season, was the first in Lake Orion High School’s history.
The closest they had been before was in 2008, when the team took runner-up.
Bell is now in his thirteenth year as head coach of the Lake Orion Varsity Football team, where he also served as assistant to the head coach for two seasons prior to taking the helm.
He has also held the head coach position at Linden and St. Clement High School in Center Line.