Mike Bell learned to deal with adversity while he was a star running back at the University of Arizona, and he's used that experience ever since.
Bell, the third all-time rushing leader for the Wildcats, went through three different head coaches and four different position coaches while he was at the school in Tucson, Ariz.
"It was crazy," said Bell, an NFL-type talent who signed last week with the Seattle-Tacoma Cobras. "There was so much change over time, such a different environment. When coaches leave, some coaches come in with different personalities."
Different offensive systems, different playbooks, different philosophies.
The one constant was Bell's on-field production. He rushed for more than 900 yards in three straight seasons and totaled 3,157 yards and 17 touchdowns during his four-year Arizona career.
Statistically speaking, the 952 yards during Bell's senior year in 2005 was his best, although he was so sick before the start of the season that he was forced to stay in a hospital for a week, and doctors initially didn't know what was wrong.
"I had pneumonia in the summer time, in Tucson, in the heat of the summer," Bell said. "I couldn't regulate my temperature for four days, and they almost put me in the ICU."
A range of potential diagnoses included tuberculosis. Despite losing a lot of weight, Bell pulled through and got back on the football field.
"You have to fight through those dark times," he said. "That's a testament in my life I'm pretty much going through now."
Bell, the third all-time rushing leader for the Wildcats, went through three different head coaches and four different position coaches while he was at the school in Tucson, Ariz.
"It was crazy," said Bell, an NFL-type talent who signed last week with the Seattle-Tacoma Cobras. "There was so much change over time, such a different environment. When coaches leave, some coaches come in with different personalities."
Different offensive systems, different playbooks, different philosophies.
The one constant was Bell's on-field production. He rushed for more than 900 yards in three straight seasons and totaled 3,157 yards and 17 touchdowns during his four-year Arizona career.
Statistically speaking, the 952 yards during Bell's senior year in 2005 was his best, although he was so sick before the start of the season that he was forced to stay in a hospital for a week, and doctors initially didn't know what was wrong.
"I had pneumonia in the summer time, in Tucson, in the heat of the summer," Bell said. "I couldn't regulate my temperature for four days, and they almost put me in the ICU."
A range of potential diagnoses included tuberculosis. Despite losing a lot of weight, Bell pulled through and got back on the football field.
"You have to fight through those dark times," he said. "That's a testament in my life I'm pretty much going through now."
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