Release courtesy of Jeff Weiss, Wayne State University Associate Athletic Director/Media Relations
DETROIT - Former Wayne State University running
back Joique Bell, currently with the Detroit
Lions, had a rushing touchdown in the second quarter of today's
home game win over the St. Louis Rams. He also saw playing
time on all four special teams (kickoff return, kickoff coverage,
punt return and punt coverage).
Bell, who had 88 rushing touchdowns in four years for the
Warriors, recorded his first professional regular-season touchdown
on his first carry not in a pre-season game.
Today's contest is the ninth career NFL game for Bell, who is in
his third season in the NFL.
Click
here for link to Joique Bell's Wayne State bio.
Joique
Bell's Detroit Lions bio.
Click
here for Detroit Lions post-game notes.
Video
clip of Joique Bell's touchdown run.
Notes:
Bell is the first WSU player to play a regular-season game with
the Lions since Tom Beer played in the Lions regular-season finale
on Monday night on Dec. 23, 1996.
The last WSU player to score a touchdown in the NFL was Richard
"Dick" Byas with the Atlanta Falcons (1974-80). Byas' 1979
touchdown (on Oct. 29), the third score of his NFL career, came on
a 30-yard fumble return vs. Seattle. He had a blocked punt
return for a TD on Oct. 22, 1978, against San Francisco, after
scoring on a 72-yard interception return on Nov. 20, 1977, vs. New
Orleans.
Vic Zucco had a 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown on Nov. 3,
1957, for the Chicago Bears against the Los Angeles Rams.
Joique's TD is the first rushing TD in the NFL ever by a Wayne
State player.
Other WSU players (or Wayne University if before 1956) to play for
Detroit were:
Tom Kennedy who played two games in 1944 with the Lions (a 1941
letterwinner for Wayne University).
Walter Jenkins played two games with Detroit in 1955 (a 1953-54
letterwinner for Wayne University).
Ben Paolucci played in four games with Detroit in 1959 (a 1955
letterwinner for Wayne University, and 1956-1957 for Wayne
State).
John Sokolosky played in 11 games for Detroit in 1978 (a
1974-75-76-77 letterwinner for Wayne State).
Paul Butcher played 134 NFL games for five teams (a
1982-1983-1984-1985 letterwinner for Wayne State). He spent
three years with Detroit (1986-88) playing in a total of 40
games.
Tom Beer played 41 games with Detroit from 1994-96 (a
1990-1991-1992-1993 letterwinner for Wayne State).
For a complete listing of Wayne State players to have appeared in
an NFL regular-season game click
here.
