TUCSON, ARIZ. – As part of the 2020 induction class of the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in a Zoom press conference, Becky Bell looked at the Olympians, individual national champions and All-Americans around her and had one immediate thought.

"What am I doing here? I don't deserve to be in their company."

The Southern California native was in awe of the greats and fixtures of Arizona history around her.

"I just did my job and I loved it," Bell said of her twelve years as Arizona's head women's tennis coach. "Seeing these great Wildcats in this class really hit me. I still can't believe it."

Bell may be modest about her achievements as a coach at Arizona, which included 11 NCAA postseason appearances, a national championship in doubles, a final four appearance and regular top-five rankings nationally. Already a member of the Riverside, California Sport Hall of Fame, Bell has plenty of athletic credentials. She was a standout tennis player at UCLA and a member of the Bruins' 1981 national championship team.

However, this isn't a story just about a life in tennis. This is a story of a Wildcat who has spent 35 years in Arizona's athletics department touching the lives of countless young men and women. It's about four decades of being a tennis coach and a pioneer of the CATS Life Skills program. Her modesty is rivaled by her passion for her job and the lives she's touched.

"Becky's superpower is her unconditional positive regard for others," said former Arizona Athletics Sports Psychologist Scott Goldman. "She can listen with 100 percent focus on the person who is talking to her and has a tremendous gift for being passionate in what she believes in and what is right. She is a champion for helping people and improving quality of life."

And when it comes to representing "The Wildcat Way", Bell is the ultimate embodiment of this holistic development program. A career dedicated to helping student-athletes achieve their goals in sports, the classroom and the community, one could argue Becky Bell is the Wildcat Way.

BUILDING A TENNIS POWER IN TUCSON
"To be honest with you, I thought I was going to be fired after my first year because we didn't make the NCAA Tournament."

That's how the former All-American player and assistant coach at UCLA summed up the start of her tenure at the helm of the Arizona Women's Tennis program. She had also spent time coaching with the U.S. National Team before accepting her first head coaching job in Tucson. On a recommendation from her former college roommate and then-assistant basketball coach at the U of A, Dianne (Frierson) Fowler who was a national champion with UCLA Women's Basketball, Bell fell in love with the city and the University of Arizona right out of the gate.

"I saw the potential here and knew it could be something special."
 

Her intuition was correct.

Fortunately, the disappointment from year one didn't last long.
 
"I inherited a great bunch of young women. They were super appreciative and grateful, and they loved U of A. I knew all along that if we worked hard and did things right, that good things would happen."

Some of her student-athletes would point to Bell's ability to instill leadership into them as part of her success as coach, a trait that Bell would carry into her work in Life Skills.

"Becky was tough, in a good way," observed Susan Russo's whose All-American career began at Arizona as the 1984 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. "She gave 120 percent and expected the same from her players. She had this way of understanding that each of us were individuals and taught me that my actions speak louder than words. Becky instilled in all of us that leadership and mentorship are valuable qualities on and off the court. Those qualities have been extended into my professional career and have been acknowledged through several awards."

Russo was among the early high-profiles names in program history that were the springboard towards a decade of dominance. The program grew with highly regarded recruits, the right team dynamic and it culminated in landing the number one recruit in her class, Alix Creek who would later capture a national title in doubles alongside Michelle Oldham. The recruiting success also added Vicky Maes who became arguably the greatest player in program history as its only four-time All-American and member of the Pac-10 All-Decade Team.  
 

The on-court success came as well with a Final Four appearance in 1993 and sold out marquee, top-five match-ups with fellow Pac-10 powerhouse Stanford. The usually reserved Bell shows a bit of her competitive nature when reflecting back at those times.

"When we had the program at its peak, I just wanted more."

"We didn't have great facilities," she continued. "We didn't have a big budget. We didn't have some things that other schools had, but we also had a lot that no one else did. We had heart, unity, belief, a common goal, and a great set of other intangibles. And, make no mistake, they were great competitors."

TRANSITION TO LIFE SKILLS PIONEER
"After 17 years of coaching, I was burned out," Bell reflected. "It was 24/7. I had given my all and believed we achieved the most of what we could. I was proud of the results. Plus, we graduated our student-athletes, represented the school well and gave back to our community. It was never just about wins and losses. It was also about these outstanding young women and who they were as people and members of the Arizona community.

Arizona's Commitment to an Athlete's Total Success was in its infancy stages as a program and caught Bell's eye. She told then AD Jim Livengood, "If anything opens up, I would be interested."
A staff positioned did open up and the next 23 years of Bell's career were set in motion.

The CATS Life Skills program was one of the first of its kind as a holistic approach to student-athlete development. Creating and maintaining an atmosphere and environment that builds academic, athletic and life champions.

"The CATS program was the vision of Cedric Dempsey and Rocky LaRose," Bell said. "It was one of the first of its kind, and I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. Ced and Rocky created something we knew would always be important and central to our departmental mission."

According to Scott Goldman, who is now the Director of Performance Psychology with the Detroit Lions, Bell has carried the torch from Dempsey and LaRose in trailblazing fashion. He notes the regular occurrence of attending national conventions with a constant topic of conversation being Arizona's life skills "pioneer".

The particulars of Bell's work in CATS are as numerous as the countless student-athletes who have had their lives changed forever by that commitment to growth as a student, athlete and member of the Southern Arizona community.

"Becky's legacy speaks for itself," exclaimed former Arizona defensive back Darrell Brooks. "Nothing Becky Bell has accomplished over her 35 years at the University of Arizona is a surprise. She is a staple in the Arizona Athletics Department and a foundational pillar in the lives of the thousands of the student-athletes she's impacted. There isn't an athletics department in this country that isn't aware of Becky and the many student-athlete programs and curriculums she has developed. She is a consummate professional and the epitome of what all former student-athletes should aspire."
 

Bell created the Step UP! Bystander Intervention program, which has been adopted by more than 1,000 schools and organizations. For that, Bell received the University's Commission on the Status of Women Vision Award in 2009. Arizona Athletics has won four NCAA Woman of the Year awards, in addition to having five finalists, which leads the nation, and Life Skills activities played a distinguishing role in that award. The CATS Life Skills Program also was awarded the Peter Likins Award for Inclusive Excellence in 2018. Student-athletes from every corner of the athletics department have graduated from the University of Arizona and found a leader, mentor and friend in Bell.

"Simply put, Becky changes people's lives," Goldman continued. "I do not believe its hyperbolic to say that she has changed the world through pro social training and engagement as well as bystander intervention."

The first words that come to mind when asked to describe her time with CATS Life Skills are "blessed, fortunate and grateful". Bell takes a long pause and then continues. "I've been able to work with world class people and world class athletes and see their lives changed. They're changing not because of me but because of the opportunities provided to them by Arizona Athletics. There is no greater feeling than that. When you see someone's life changed, it is a very powerful thing."

And that is the two-time Hall of Famer in a nutshell. Modest until the very end as her 35 years as a fixture at Arizona Athletics comes to an end with a bittersweet retirement. She rides off into the Southern Arizona sunset just as she has through her almost four decades in Tucson.

Like a Wildcat through and through…

BECKY BELL'S IMPACT IN THEIR OWN WORDS
"Becky Bell has been an indispensable resource for the countless number of students-athletes and alumni through her direction of the C.A.T.S. Life Skills program at the University of Arizona for over twenty years. She has also been an incredible personal resource and friend to me. I greatly value Becky's assistance in helping me prepare to transition from a professional basketball player into a career as a professional coach and to now in my current position as an administrator in Arizona's athletic department. Becky's no-nonsense approach and attention to detail, combined with her decades of experience in education and her ability to communicate with students, will be greatly missed and very difficult to replace at Arizona Athletics and within the C.A.T.S. Program. I wish Becky nothing but the best in her well-earned retirement and Bear Down!"  - Reggie Geary, Wildcat Club Director of Development

 "Thank you Becky for seeing something in me that I didn't see in myself.  Thank you for your unyielding support, not only throughout my career at Arizona, but today 35 years later.  I have a passion for and aspire to be the best leader and mentor to not only those I work with but young athletes I meet in my personal life.  You know I'm not just a Wildcat for Life but a SUPER Wildcat for Life and you are big part of those memories.  Thank you Beck!" – Susan Russo, Arizona Women's Tennis letterwinner

"Becky Bell's impact is invaluable. Besides helping athletes focus on accomplishing immediate and short-term goals, Becky has always been a voice of reason. She helps broaden one's perspective and inevitably assist student-athletes in envisioning long-term successes, while providing and developing the tools that we ALL need and are required for success beyond our respective sports." – Darrell Brooks, Arizona Football letterwinner

"The first thing you can point to as defining Becky's legacy is Step UP! Program, but that is just the surface. There are thousands, and I mean thousands who can tell you a "Becky-ism" that has resonated and changed the way they live. The world is a better place because of Becky Bell. The work she has done has prevented catastrophes as well as encouraged kindness, growth, and care. I am so grateful and honored to call her a friend and colleague." – Scott Goldman, Detroit Lions Director of Performance Psychology

"Becky Bell has been an outstanding member of this athletic department for many years and has left a legacy of excellence and caring as a coach and for the last years as our leader of our Life Skills program. Becky has been innovative in her development of the Step Up! Program and has been a guiding force for our student-athletes. I have always admired Becky as a leader and most of all as a good friend. She will be dearly missed, and I am so honored to have worked with her during my career at Arizona. She is the "Wildcat Way"." – Mike Candrea, Arizona Softball Head Coach

"Learning from Becky Bell has shown me how to best serve others. She sees the greatness in people and helps them to become better versions of themselves. Becky's impact on student-athletes and our athletics department will last long after she retires." – Thea Ramsey, Arizona Cross Country