Tatum Bell

Last year was a breakthrough season for Oklahoma State’s Tatum Bell. He registered the 13th 1,000-yard rushing season in OSU history, and established himself as one of the best running backs in the Big 12 Conference. Bell finished the 2002 season with 175 carries for 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 99.6 yards per game and an impressive 6.3 yards per carry. He finished the season fifth on the Big 12 rushing chart behind Chris Brown, Quentin Griffin, Darren Sproles and Jammal Lord. His season was rewarded with second-team All-Big 12 honors by league coaches and honorable mention all-league honors by the Associated Press. He should be considered a candidate for even more postseason honors in 2003.The top rushing days of his OSU career came in 2002. He carried the ball 33 times for 182 yards in the Cowboys’ win over Nebraska. He had 165 yards and two touchdowns at Texas Tech and had 25 carries for 143 yards and scored three touchdowns in OSU’s win over Texas A&M. With those 2002 statistics in the bank, Bell will go into his senior season ninth on the career rushing chart. His 2,123 career yards rank just ahead of Worley Taylor’s 2,217, and just behind Bob Fenimore, who had 2,299 yards over his OSU career between 1943 and 1946.

2002: His best season in a Cowboy uniform. Bell went over the century mark in six of OSU's final seven games, including 106 yards on 22 carries against Oklahoma, only the second back to rush for 100 yards against the Sooners all season. Tatum was named a second-team All-Big 12 running back by the league’s coaches. He started at tailback seven-straight games and nine times overall in 2002. Rushed 13 times for 66 yards against Kansas and recorded two catches for 54 yards with both going for scores, the first two receiving TDs of his career. He went over the century mark for the third-straight game against Texas Tech and was the first OSU rusher to have 100 or more yards in three-straight games since David Thompson did it in the first three games of 1996. Tatum’s 67-yard scoring run against Tech was the longest of his career. Bell ended up with 165 yards on 22 carries and two scores against the Red Raiders. Against Texas A&M, he finished with 143 yards on 25 carries, including a career-high three scores against the Aggies. Rushed for a career-high 182 yards on a career-high 33 carries against Nebraska. Had 15 rushes for 63 yards against Kansas State. Ran the ball five times for 59 yards including a 45-yard touchdown run against UT. Did not play against SMU due to injury. Started for the second-straight game against UCLA and finished with seven rushes for 15 yards and a one-yard TD plunge. Made his first start of the season against Northern Iowa and rushed the ball six times for 31 yards before leaving the game due to injury. Sat out the Louisiana Tech game with a sprained ankle.

2001: OSU's leading rusher, Bell carried the ball 197 times for 776 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 77.6 yards per game and almost four yards per carry. Bell eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark twice that season, including a career-high 117 yards against Missouri. He had 102 yards in Oklahoma State’s win over Louisiana Tech on Lewis Field. The last four games of the 2001 season were particularly impressive for Bell. Against Colorado, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma, Bell carried the ball a combined 80 times for 333 yards. That’s a four-game average of 83.25 yards per game and 4.16 yards per carry.

2000: Made an impact as a true freshman by rushing for 251 yards on just 49 carries. He followed the regular season with an impressive spring during which he showed the new OSU staff he had the ability to run the ball inside. He was OSU’s leading rusher in both major spring scrimmages. His spring numbers included 14 carries for 110 yards and three touchdowns in the first scrimmage and 15 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown in the second. Showed most of the country what he was capable of with an incredible long-distance run against Oklahoma in a nationally televised season finale on Lewis Field. Oklahoma State won the services of this highly recruited running back over Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma.

High School: Tatum was considered one of the fastest high school players in the nation. He was timed at 4.34 in the 40-yard dash and had been clocked at 10.26 in the 100-meter dash. He was hampered by a hip pointer and sprained ankle as a senior, but still rushed for 1,225 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was also an effective kick and punt returner. In addition to his 19 rushing touchdowns, he had three touchdown passes and returned one kickoff for a touchdown. First Down Recruiting, PrepStar, the Dallas Morning News and David Garvin listed him as a top-100 Texas player. He was a two-time all-district selection at running back. His high school coach was Ben Dial.

Personal: Born March 2, 1981, in Dallas, TexasTatum is the son of Tony and Terry Bell. He has a younger brother, T.J., and an older sister, Latrice Coleman. Tatum is majoring in sociology at Oklahoma State.

RUSHING G Att Yds TD Lg Avg/C Avg/G 2000 9 49 251 1 60 5.1 27.9 2001 10 197 776 6 40 3.9 77.6 2002 11 175 1096 11 88 6.3 99.6 TOTAL 30 421 2123 18 88 5.0 70.8

RECEIVING G Rec Yds TD Lg Avg/C Avg/G 2000 9 5 42 0 25 8.4 4.7 2001 10 18 97 0 16 5.4 9.7 2002 11 4 59 2 41 14.8 5.4 TOTAL 30 27 198 2 41 7.3 6.6

ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec Total Avg/G 2000 9 251 42 293 32.6 2001 10 776 97 873 87.3 2002 11 1096 59 1155 105.0 TOTAL 30 2123 198 2321 77.4

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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