Bell a Starkville native is a part of the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame and Negro League Museum’s Field of Legends
STARKVILLE – One of the greatest baseball players of all time and Starkville’s own James Thomas “Cool Papa” Bell will be honored with the dedication of “Cool Papa” Bell Plaza inside Mississippi State’s Dudy Noble Field on Thursday (May 13) before the Bulldog’s Southeastern Conference baseball game versus Missouri.
The dedication of “Cool Papa” Bell Plaza and the plaque noting the life and career of Bell is a joint project between MSU athletics and the University’s Student Association. MSU director of athletics John Cohen, Starkville mayor Lynn Spruill, Student Association vice president Kennedy Guest and Bell’s cousin Allen Landfair will each speak during Thursday’s pregame dedication.
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats at Dudy Noble Field at 7:15 on Thursday, May 13 prior to the game. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The ceremony will be shown on the video board as the “Cool Papa” Bell Plaza, located on the left field terrace, will be dedicated.
The fastest man to ever play the game of baseball, Bell was born on May 17, 1901, in Starkville and worked as a teenager at the Mississippi Agricultural & Mechanical College, now Mississippi State University, creamery and in the agricultural experiment station.
One of the pioneers of modern day base running, Bell’s career in professional baseball spanned 28 years as a player, coach and professional scout, and his base-running style changed the way the game was played. The switch-hitting center fielder was a part of some of the most feared teams in professional baseball, winning three championships each with the St. Louis Stars, Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro Leagues.
Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1974, when Bell was asked if he was born at least 10 years too early to play in Major League Baseball, he simply stated: “They say that I was born too soon. I say the doors were opened too late.”
Along with his spot in Cooperstown, Bell has also been inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, is a part of the Field of Legends at the Negro Leagues Museum and is a member of three other halls of fame.