American sport always seems to throw up the most amazing, serendipitous, unbelievable stories. The tale of how Joique Bell went from Detroit Lions’ security guard to a star running back on a $7m contract ticks all of those boxes.
Bell was playing with Wayne State University from 2007 to 2009 but their Division Two college football status brought a mere sprinkling of scouts.
He supported his college studies and football pursuits by working as a night-shift security guard at the Lions’ Ford Field Stadium and training facilities.
Bell recalls a time he did not have the ‘gas money’ to get home but Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers helped him out. Rogers asked the then-security guard to help him break food-eating curfew by running across the road to a café to pick him up some food.
Upon returning back with the food, Bell says Rogers, ‘Pulled out this big loaf of money and said ‘Take this’. That was my gas money to get home.’
Due to his division-topping running yards, Bell made it into the 2010 NFL Draft but was not selected. It took him countless training camps, try-outs, free agencies and five NFL franchises [he played five times for the Colts] before he made it back to Detroit, and Michigan.
His first Lions game was in 2012 and, since he made his breakthrough, there has been no stopping him. In 2014, Bell signed a $7m a year contract with the Lions so probably has a loaf or two of his own $50 bills lying around somewhere.
This is Bell’s incredible story:
Here’s the feature NFL LIVE just aired on @Lions RB @JoiqueBell and his amazing journey to Detroit » http://t.co/H35pmJcVCa
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 27, 2015
