TAMPA, Fla. (June 22, 2006) -- Former NFL receiver Theo Bell, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers before finishing his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, died after a long battle with kidney disease and scleroderma. He was 52.
Bell died June 21 at St. Joseph's Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Amy Gall. Scleroderma is a chronic disease that causes skin thickening and tightening and can cause damage to internal organs.
A fourth-round draft pick of the Steelers in 1976, Bell played nine seasons in the NFL -- the last five with the Bucs. He finished with 136 catches for 2,375 yards and eight touchdowns, and was with Pittsburgh when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 1978 and 1979.
He started 13 of 70 games he appeared in for the Bucs and had 95 catches for 1,470 yards and four TDs.
