Lake Orion High School Athletic Director and head football coach, Chris Bell, was inducted into the Michigan Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in February.

Bell is a part of the 2022 inductee class, along with 13 others.

“It’s a great honor,” Bell said in a news release from Lake Orion Community Schools. “It means a couple things: I’ve been around for awhile and, most importantly, it means I’ve had (the) privilege of coaching outstanding student-athletes and have outstanding coaches. Games in the world of football are a team game and games aren’t won by individuals.”

Bell makes his return as head coach of the varsity Dragons football team after a five-season hiatus. In his tenure as coach, he led the Dragons to their first and only state championship in 2010. Bell accrued a career record of 149-59 in 19 seasons, with 16 state playoff appearances, six league titles, seven district titles and four regional titles, making him Lake Orion football’s winningest coach.

Among his other accomplishments, Bell was named the Detroit Lions state of Michigan Coach of the Year in 2010, was the MHSFCA regional Coach of the Year in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006, was the Detroit Free Press Metro Coach of the Year in 1998 and was the Detroit News Metro North Coach of the Year in 2005.

The 2022 Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for June 24 at Best Western Premier Executive Residency in Southfield. — By Megan Kelley