In the Huddle of History: An Interview with Former Patriots G.M. and Author Upton Bell

The UMass Amherst Libraries, in partnership with UMass Amherst Athletics, will host a free event, In the Huddle of History: An Interview with Former Patriots G.M. and Author Upton Bell, on Saturday, October 29, beginning at 2:00. The event, which will include an introduction from UMass Dean of Libraries Dr. Nandita Mani, celebrates the donation of Upton Bell’s exciting collection of sports memorabilia and family documents and the opening of a permanent exhibit at the Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center at the university’s W. E. B. Du Bois Library. A range of items from the collection, including Bell’s Super Bowl V Championship ring earned as head scout of the Baltimore Colts, will be on display in the Jim and Ellen Hunt Hospitality Suite after the event.  

During the event, Upton Bell, former NFL executive and media personality, will discuss his life and career with Sport Innovation Archivist Kirstin Kay. Bell’s career in professional football began in the early 1960s, when he started work at the Baltimore Colts training camp and ticket office, advancing to head scout by the late 1960s. Bell served the team through two NFL Championships and two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl V in 1971. After leaving the Colts, Bell was hired as general manager of the Boston Patriots; he encouraged the team’s name change to the New England Patriots. Bell went on to a broadcasting career in Boston, where for more than 40 years he has been a host and commentator covering the country’s top newsmakers. He is a three-time AP Talk Radio Award winner and author of Present at the Creation: My Life in the NFL and the Rise of America’s Game.  

Upton Bell is the son of Bert Bell, National Football League Commissioner from 1946 to 1959. Growing up inside the early NFL, Upton witnessed his father’s leadership and its impacts: implementing a proactive anti-gambling policy; negotiating a merger with the All-America Football Conference (AAFC); bringing professional football successfully to television; creating the NFL Draft; and initiating the Sudden Death rule, which launched the meteoric rise of the popularity of professional football.  

Bell’s connection to UMass Amherst started with his donation in 2018 of a lifetime of artifacts from his and his father’s careers in professional football, including Bell’s 1971 Super Bowl ring earned as head scout for the Baltimore Colts. In late 2020, the Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center launched a digital exhibit focusing on Upton Bell’s career and family and showcasing a growing number of items from the collection. In May 2022, Bell donated an additional set of documents and artifacts, quadrupling the size of the collection.