Kenny Bell

Honors & Awards
» Nebraska Career Receptions Record Holder (181)
» Nebraska Career Receiving Yards Record Holder (2,689)
» 2014 First-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches)
» 2014 Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (Media)
» Biletnikoff Award Watch List (2013, 2014)
» Paul Hornung Award Watch List
» Preseason All-Big Ten (Kick Returner, Phil Steele)
» Team Captain (2014)
» 2013 Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches, Media)
» 2012 First-Team All-Big Ten (BTN, CBS, ESPN, Phil Steele)
» 2012 Second-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches, Media, 2012)
» Nebraska Sophomore Receptions Record Holder (50 in 2012)
» Nebraska Sophomore Receiving Yards Record Holder (863 in 2012)
» Nebraska Sophomore Receiving Touchdowns Record Holder (8 in 2012)
» Honorable-Mention Freshman All-American (CollegeFootballNews.com, 2011)
» Big Ten All-Freshman Team (Yahoo.com, ESPN.com, 2011)
» Longest Touchdown Run by a Freshman in School History (80 yards at Minn., 2011)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring, 2014)

Senior Kenny Bell completed the most productive receiving career in Nebraska history in 2014. The 6-1, 185-pound Bell ascended to the top of the school’s career charts for receptions and receiving yards in 2014, while continuing to provide an explosive threat for the Husker offense.

Bell’s impact on the Nebraska offense was recognized in postseason honors. The league’s coaches selected Bell as a first-team All-Big Ten pick, marking the first all-conference first-team receiver for Nebraska since Jon Bostick in 1991. Bell was an honorable-mention all-conference choice by the media.

Bell finished his Nebraska career with 181 career receptions surpassing Nate Swift’s previous school record of 166 receptions. Bell totaled 2,689 receiving yards in his NU career, bettering Johnny Rodgers’ previous record of 2,479 career receiving yards.

As a senior, Bell led Nebraska with 47 receptions for a team-high 788 yards, an average of 16.8 yards per catch. Bell’s 787 yards ranked as the seventh-best single season total in school history. Bell had a pair of 100-yard receiving games in 2014, giving him five in his career. Bell was also the first player at Nebraska with more than 400 receiving yards for four straight seasons.

The 47-catch season in 2014 gave Bell at least 30 receptions in each of his four years with the Huskers, a first for Nebraska players. Bell also became the first player in school history to lead Nebraska in receptions four consecutive seasons.

Bell also had a team-high six touchdown receptions in 2014, increasing his career TD total to 21, good for third on the Nebraska career list. Bell caught a pass in each of the final 28 games of his career, the third-longest streak in school history. He also owns the fourth-longest streak with a 23-game stretch earlier in his career, and caught at least one pass in 51 of his final 52 games.

Bell’s impact on the program is also reflected in his 49 career starts, including 12 in 2014. Bell has the most starts in school history by an offensive player and the second-most for any position player. Bell is only the fifth position player in NU history with 40 career starts.

Bell earned his degree in ethnic studies in December.

2014 (Senior)
Florida Atlantic: Caught four passes for 116 yards, including a 63-yard reception in the third quarter, marking the third-longest catch of his career... Bell and Jordan Westerkamp combined to become the first Husker duo to both top 100 receiving yards in a game since Marlon Lucky (IB) and Maurice Purify (WR) achieved the feat at Colorado in 2007... Bell and Westerkamp became the first pair of wide receivers in Husker history to accomplish the feat. McNeese State: Was limited to one catch for 14 yards due to a groin injury... also returned a pair of kickoffs for 56 yards. Fresno State: Caught five passes for 84 yards to increase his career receptions total to 144, moving past Johnny Rodgers (143 catches) into second place on the NU receptions list. Miami: Caught four passes for 70 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7. Illinois: Caught a 63-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to give Nebraska a 28-7 lead... marked his fifth career 100-yard receiving game, tying Bell for third on the NU list of 100-yard receiving games... Michigan State: Caught three passes in the first half before leaving the game with an injury. Northwestern: Caught five passes for 89 yards. Rutgers: Caught six passes for 63 yards... set a Nebraska school record with his 167th career catch, bettering the 166 catches by Nate Swift from 2005 to 2008. Purdue: Caught one pass for five yards. Wisconsin: Caught two passes for 14 yards, including a 12-yard TD catch in the first quarter to give Nebraska a 10-0 lead... on the touchdown catch, Bell passed Johnny Rodgers to become Nebraska’s career leader in receiving yards... 12-yard touchdown catch was his 18th career touchdown reception, good for third in NU history... was his first touchdown catch of less than 20 yards since his freshman season in 2011... also returned four kicks for 92 yards. Minnesota: Caught a season-long 73-yard pass on Nebraska’s opening drive of the game, setting up a Husker touchdown... reception was one yard shy of his career long of 74 yards at Ohio State in 2012... reception was also Nebraska’s longest play from scrimmage in 2014, bettering a 70-yard touchdown pass from Armstrong to Jordan Westerkamp at Fresno State on Sept. 13... Bell was injured on the play and missed the rest of the game. Iowa: Caught a game-winning nine-yard touchdown pass in the first overtime... also had a 32-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, as he tied his career high with two touchdown receptions...  finished the game with three catches for 53 yards. USC: Completed his career with as season-high seven receptions for 71 yards... had an 18-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter for his 21st career touchdown reception... extended his streak to 28 consecutive games with at least one reception... caught at least one pass in 51 of his final 52 games.

2013 (Junior)
Bell started 12 games and finished with a team-high 51 receptions for 577 yards and four touchdowns. He caught five or more passes five times, including each of the final three regular-season games. Bell’s 52 catches ranked seventh on the NU single-season reception list, giving him two of nine 50-catch seasons in Husker history.

Bell had seven catches for 57 yards and had two kickoff returns for 72 yards against Wyoming. He had three catches and caught his first touchdown of the season against Southern Miss, hauling in a 21-yard reception in the second quarter. Bell also had a then-career-long 63-yard kickoff return.

He caught six passes for 68 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown reception against UCLA. Bell caught two passes against South Dakota State to reach 100 career receptions. In the Big Ten opener, Bell had four catches for 65 yards, including a highlight reel 37-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

After two receptions at Purdue, Bell made three catches for 45 yards at Minnesota, including a season-long 42-yard catch on the game’s opening drive. Bell caught two passes for 12 yards in the first quarter against Northwestern, but was forced to the sideline with an injury. Despite playing at less than full speed, Bell had three catches for 44 yards at Michigan, including a clutch 26-yard reception on fourth down to keep the game-winning drive alive.

Bell had seven catches for a season-high 81 yards against Michigan State, including a 38-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. At Penn State, Bell had five catches for 33 yards, but made his biggest impact in the return game. Bell had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter to give NU a 14-13 lead. The return tied for the fifth-longest in school history.

Bell tied his season high with seven receptions for 67 yards against Iowa. He closed the season with one catch for 11 yards in the Gator Bowl win over Georgia.

2012 (Sophomore)
Bell started all 14 games and led the team in every receiving category. He caught 50 passes for 863 yards and eight touchdowns. His 50 catches ranked in the top 10 on the NU single-season chart, while his 863 yards were a sophomore record and ranked fourth on the NU season yardage list. His eight touchdown catches were the fifth-most in school history.

He averaged 17.3 yards per catch to rank among the nation’s best, and his per-catch average was the 10th-best in NU history among players with at least 30 receptions. Bell had 16 catches of at least 20 yards, and all eight of his touchdown catches were from 25 yards or more.

Bell’s play as a sophomore earned him second-team All-Big Ten honors from both the league coaches and media. He was also tabbed a first-team selection by several media outlets.

The Colorado native topped the 100-yard mark in receiving three times, eclipsing the century mark against Minnesota, UCLA and Ohio State. Bell had at least three catches in eight games, and had a catch in every game but the Iowa contest. Prior to going without a catch at Iowa, Bell caught a pass in 23 straight games, the second-longest streak in NU history. Bell also contributed in the return game in 2012, averaging 23.2 yards on 14 kickoff returns.

Bell’s only reception in the opener against Southern Miss was a 26-yard touchdown grab. At UCLA, he set then career highs with six catches for 108 yards, all in the first half. The game marked the first 100-yard receiving effort for an NU player since 2010. Bell also had two kickoff returns for 70 yards, including a season-long 47-yard return.

Bell made the most of his three catches against Arkansas State with a 42-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter and a 25-yard TD reception in the second quarter. A week later against Idaho State, Bell caught his fourth touchdown of the season on a then-career-long 68-yard reception in the first quarter.

After grabbing four balls in a win over Wisconsin, Bell set a personal-best with 133 receiving yards on five catches at Ohio State. He grabbed a career-long 74-yard reception in the second quarter to set up a Taylor Martinez touchdown run.

Against Northwestern, Bell had six receptions for 77 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. In the contest, he became the 20th player in school history to reach 1,000 receiving yards and the second-fastest to reach that mark. Bell had two receptions for 51 yards in a win over Michigan, including a 32-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

Bell combined for seven catches in wins over Michigan State and Penn State, then had a career day in a 38-14 victory over Minnesota. Bell snared a career-high nine receptions for a career-high 136 yards and two touchdowns, a 36-yarder in the first quarter and a 30-yard TD catch in the third quarter. Bell’s nine receptions tied for the eighth-most in a game in NU history, and the 136 yards fell just outside of the top 10 on the single-game yardage list.

After going without a catch at Iowa, Bell caught two passes for 14 yards against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. He closed his sophomore season with four receptions for 60 yards in the Capital One Bowl against Georgia.

2011 (Redshirt Freshman)
Bell played in every game and started the final 11 games of 2011. A strong second half of the season allowed him to become just the second freshman ever to lead Nebraska in receptions and receiving yards (Nate Swift, 2005). Bell finsihed the year with 32 receptions, 461 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. His reception and yardage totals were the second-highest ever for a Nebraska freshman.

Bell averaged 14.4 yards per catch as a redshirt freshman and had eight catches of at least 20 yards. Bell made 27 of his 32 catches in Big Ten play and had at least four catches in four of the final seven games. He had six games with at least three catches as a freshman, including five each against Iowa and Northwestern. In addition to his three receiving touchdowns, Bell also scored on an 82-yard touchdown run at Minnesota, the longest ever run by a Husker freshman.

 2010 (Redshirt Freshman)
Bell redshirted in his first season and earned Scout Team MVP honors.

Before Nebraska (Fairview HS)
Bell helped Fairview High to a 12-1 record and a state semifinal appearance in 2009. He caught 18 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns, and added an interception and kickoff return for a touchdown. Bell missed much of the season with an injury, but scored five touchdowns in his first five games back in action. Despite his limited action, Bell’s impact was recognized, as he was a first-team All-Colorado selection and first-team Class 5A all-state pick by the Denver Post.

As a junior, Bell earned first-team All-Front Range League honors, playing wingback and rushing for 958 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was ranked among the top 10 players in Colorado according to Rivals.com. Bell chose Nebraska after also visiting Minnesota and Texas Tech. He also had offers from several other schools, including Colorado, California, Arizona and Arizona State. In basketball, Bell helped his team to the state title game as a senior, and he also competed in track.

Personal 
Kenny was born on Feb. 25, 1992, and is the son of Tami Campbell and his stepfather is Dan Campbell. Kenny’s father, Ken Bell, played for the Denver Broncos from 1986 to 1989, totaling more than 2,000 career yards in kickoff returns. Bell is majoring in ethnic studies, and was named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the spring 2014 semester and the 2010 Big 12 Fall Academic Honor Roll. Bell has volunteered time with Husker Heroes, Meadow Lane Elementary, Norwood Park Elementary, the Uplifting Athletes Road Race and a UNL Sportsmanship Pep Rally.

Bell's Career Statistics

Year	G/S	Rec.	Yards	Y/R	Y/G	Long	TDs
2010			Redshirt
2011	13/11	32	461	14.4	35.5	50 vs. Washington	3
2012	14/14	50	863	17.3	61.6	74 at Ohio State	8
2013	13/12	52	577	11.1	44.4	42 at Minnesota	4
2014	13/12	47	788	16.8	60.6	73 vs. Minnesota	6
Totals	53/49	181	2,689	14.9	50.8	74 at Ohio State	21

Rushing: Career: 6 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD, 18.2 average,long of 82 at Minnesota (2011)
2013: 1 carry, 1 yard, 0 TD, 1.0 average, long of 1 vs. SDSU
2012: 2 carries, 8 yards, 0 TD, 4.0 average, long of 7 vs. Southern Miss
2011: 3 carries, 100 yards, 1 TD, 33.3 average, long of 82 yards at Minnesota (TD)*
*longest touchdown run by a freshman in school history

Kickoff Returns: Career: 51 ret., 1,277 yards, 1 TD, 25.0 avg., long of 99 at Penn St. (2013)
2014: 8 returns, 191 yards, 23.9 avg., long of 35 vs. McNeese State
2013: 23 returns, 609 yards, 1 TD, 26.5 average, long of 99 yards at Penn State
2012: 14 returns, 325 yards, 0 TDs, 23.2 average, long of 47 at UCLA
2011: 6 returns, 152 yards, 0 TDs, 25.3 average, long of 33 at Michigan

Punt Returns: 1 career punt return for 0 yards at Northwestern (10/20/12)

Single-Game Highs
» Receptions - 9 vs. Minnesota (2012)
» Receiving Yards - 136 vs. Minnesota (2012)
» Rushing Yards - 82 at Minnesota (2011)
» Touchdowns - 2 vs. Arkansas State (2012), vs. Minnesota (2012), at Iowa (2014)
» Kickoff Return Yards - 99 at Penn State (2013)
» All-Purpose Yards - 178 at UCLA (2012)