Yeremiah Bell life and biography

After graduating from high school, Yeremiah went to work at a Kentucky steel mill, where he earned $8 an hour bending liner pieces that are put in tunnels. “I actually liked it,” Bell said. “The hardest thing was stacking them. The heaviest pieces were like 75 pounds.” At age 20, after two years working in the mill, Bell decided to walk-on at Eastern Kentucky, where he eventually earned a full scholarship.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS

Was the third of three sixth-round draft choices by the Dolphins in 2003, with a compensatory pick from the NFL as a result of net free agent losses from 2002.

PRO

2010 - Ranks first on the Dolphins in tackles with 55 stops ... Has led the Dolphins in tackles four games this season and finished second twice ... Has one game of double figure tackles ... Has started all seven games this year ... Finished tied for sixth on the Dolphins with nine tackles in the preseason and also was tied for first on the team with one interception he returned one yard.

2009 - Started 15 games and played as a reserve once ... Earned first Pro Bowl honor of NFL career, becoming just the fifth safety in team history to earn that recognition (also Jake Scott, 1971-75; Dick Anderson, 1972-74; Tim Foley, 1979; and Brock Marion, 2000, 2002-03) ... Named co-winner of the 2009 Don Shula Leadership Award as voted by his teammates ... Finished first on the Dolphins in tackles with 113 stops, was second on the team in interceptions with three picks he returned a total of 48 yards, had 1.5 sacks for a total of eight yards in losses and added nine passes defensed ... It was the second straight season (and the second of his career) that he recorded 100 or more tackles ... Led the team in tackles ten times and finished second on the team in tackles three times on the season ... Finished second on the team with eight tackles and added one pass defensed at Atlanta (9/13) ... Tied for the team lead in tackles with seven stops at San Diego (9/27) ... Led the Dolphins with eight tackles vs. Buffalo (10/4) ... Tied for the team lead with nine tackles vs. New Orleans (10/25), including 1.5 sacks for eight yards in losses, tackling Saints QB Drew Brees for a six-yard loss and also shared a four-yard sack of Brees with Randy Starks ... With his 1.5 sacks in the game, it gave Bell 7.5 sacks in his career ... Became the all-time Dolphins leader in sacks among defensive backs, breaking his tie with Liffort Hobley, who had six sacks in his career ... Tied for the team lead in tackles with nine stops at New England (11/8) ... Led the team in tackles with seven stops and had one pass defensed at Jacksonville (12/13) ... The pass defense came on a key 4th-and-3 play on the Miami 45 yard line with 8:01 left in the game to help preserve the Dolphins’ 14-10 lead ... Finished tied for first on the team in tackles with six stops at Tennessee (12/20) ... Had five tackles and one interception, picking off a Matt Schaub pass and returning it 29 yards vs. Houston (12/27) ... Tied for the team lead with six tackles and had one interception vs. Pittsburgh (1/3), picking off a Ben Roethlisberger pass and returning it 16 yards.

2008 - Started all 16 regular season games at strong safety ... Posted a team and career-high 120 tackles (100 solo) ... Also registered one sack, ten passes defensed and three forced fumbles ... Led the team in tackles nine times and finished second four times ... Had three games of double-figure tackles ... Made an immediate impact in season opener vs. N.Y. Jets (9/7) as he tied for the team lead with ten tackles and added a forced fumble ... Led the team with ten tackles at New England (9/21) ... Paced the team with six tackles and also recorded two passes defensed vs. San Diego (10/5) ... Tied a career high with 12 tackles and also registered a pass defensed and recovered a fumble at Houston (10/12) ... Had eight tackles and forced a fumble on the Dolphins’ five-yard line that was recovered by Charlie Anderson vs. Baltimore (10/19) ... Recorded five stops and his second forced fumble in as many weeks vs. Buffalo (10/26) ... Led the team with seven tackles and three passes defensed at Denver (11/2) ... Registered a team-high nine tackles and had one pass defensed vs. Seattle (11/9) ... In fact, made the key play of the game as he broke up a pass for a two-point conversion with 3:03 left in the game to help secure the Dolphins’ 21-19 win. ... Led the Dolphins with nine tackles, including one sack for three yards of Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel vs. New England (11/23) ... It was his sixth career sack as a Dolphin, tying him with Liffort Hobley for the most sacks by a Dolphin defensive back in team history ... Tied for the team lead with five tackles against Buffalo in Toronto (12/7) and with seven stops at St. Louis (11/30) ... Led team with nine tackles and added one pass defensed at Kansas City (12/21) ... In the regular season finale at N.Y. Jets (12/28), finished second on the team with seven tackles and added two passes defensed as the Dolphins secured the AFC East Division title ... Started in his playoff debut in AFC Wild Card game against Baltimore (1/4/09) and had three tackles and one pass defensed.

2007 - Started the season opener at Washington (9/9) ... Registered five tackles before sustaining a ruptured left Achilles’ tendon, which ended his season ... Was placed on injured reserve on September 11.

2006 - Played in all 16 games, including 11 starts ... The first two starts came as part of a five- or six-DB alignment while the final nine were at strong safety ... Finished fifth on the team and second among defensive backs with 65 tackles ... Added two sacks, a team-high 12 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and a pair of forced fumbles ... Also contributed five tackles and a forced fumble on special teams ... Registered a sack vs. Buffalo (9/17) ... Forced a fumble on punt coverage at New England (10/8) ... Initial start of NFL career came at N.Y. Jets (10/15) as the Dolphins opened with six DBs ... Two games later, opened at strong safety in the Dolphins’ 31-13 win at Chicago (11/5) ... In that game, recorded five tackles, two passes defensed and a forced fumble ... On the first series of the second half, stripped the ball from Justin Gage following a 17-yard reception, with the loose ball being recovered by André Goodman, who returned it 33 yards to the Bears’ 12, setting up a 6-yard TD pass from Joey Harrington to Wes Welker three plays later ... Posted nine stops and a season-best three passes defensed the week afterwards in a 13-10 win over Kansas City (11/12), as the Dolphins held the Chiefs to 185 net passing yards ... Recorded a career-high 12 tackles the following week in 24-20 win over Minnesota (11/19) ... Also knocked down a pass and recovered a Chester Taylor fumble at the Dolphins’ 30 in the fourth quarter ... In a 21-0 win over New England (12/10), posted a team-high nine tackles, including a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery, all on the same play ... It occurred in the fourth quarter, and he recovered the fumble at the Dolphins’ 39, leading to a 3-yard TD run by Sammy Morris eight plays later in the Dolphins’ 21-0 win.

2005 - Played in all 16 games in a reserve role ... On defense, where he played primarily in dime packages, registered 21 tackles, three sacks, an interception, four passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble ... Finished second on the squad with 14 stops on special teams, where he also recovered a fumble ... First sack of NFL career occurred at Tampa Bay (10/16), when he dropped Bucs QB Chris Simms for a four-yard loss ... Initial interception of NFL career came vs. New England (11/13) when he picked off a Tom Brady pass in the fourth quarter, leading to a Dolphins touchdown six plays later ... Recorded a season-high five tackles in win at San Diego (12/11), when he also made what was perhaps his biggest play of the year ... With the Dolphins holding a 20-14 lead over the Chargers with just more than two minutes to play, stripped the ball from Drew Brees with San Diego at their own 36 ... Kevin Carter recovered the loose ball, leading to a Dolphins field goal seven plays afterward, which proved to be the margin of victory in the 23-21 decision ... Was credited with a fumble recovery on an errant snap from field goal formation vs. N.Y. Jets (12/18) ... Also knocked down a Brooks Bollinger pass attempt on fourth-and-five from the Dolphins’ 14 with less than a minute to play, preserving Miami’s 24-20 victory ... Had a season-high three special teams tackles vs. Kansas City (10/21) and vs. N.Y. Jets (12/18) ... Recovered an Allen Rossum fumbled punt vs. Atlanta (11/6), resulting in a Dolphins field goal four plays afterward ... Downed a Donnie Jones punt at the Raiders’ 2 at Oakland (11/27).

2004 - Played in 13 games, all in a reserve role ... Collected five tackles and a pass defensed on defense, and five more tackles on special teams ... Made his NFL debut in opener vs. Tennessee (9/11) ... Sustained a right distal fibula fracture in game at Denver (12/12) and was placed on injured reserve the following day ... Underwent surgery to stabilize the fracture on December 15 ... In preseason, ranked second on the squad with 22 tackles.

2003 - Was waived on August 31 and signed to the practice squad a day later ... Spent the first four games of the season there before being placed on the practice squad/injured list with a right foot injury on October 7.

COLLEGE

Was a three-year letterman (1999-2001) at Eastern Kentucky ... Missed his senior season of 2002 after sustaining a knee injury in a pickup basketball game prior to the season ... In his three-year career, appeared in 32 games ... Amassed 258 tackles, nine interceptions (including one for a touchdown), four fumble recoveries, seven forced fumbles, 31 passes defensed and three blocked kicks ... Started ten games as a junior in 2001 ... Led team with 86 tackles (61 solo) and six interceptions ... Added three tackles for loss, one sack, 15 passes defensed, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles ... Also blocked two kicks and returned a punt for 24 yards ... Earned recognition as a first-team Division I-AA All-American by the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association. . . Was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, signifying I-AA football’s top defensive player ... Also was named first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference, OVC Defensive Player of the Year and made the EKU Winners Club on both defense and special teams ... He was selected player of the year among defensive backs and chosen Eastern Kentucky's Most Valuable Player on defense ... Led team as a sophomore with 110 tackles (63 solo) and added two interceptions and a fumble recovery ... Was selected by the EKU coaching staff as the school’s Defensive MVP ... Won the 1999 EKU team award for Defensive Back of the Year as a freshman ... Majored in physical education.

PERSONAL

Single ... Has a daughter, Yamia, and a son, Brayden ... Graduated from George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Ky ... Also lettered in basketball ... Helped deliver furniture to a previously homeless family as part of the team’s Rooms To Go program ... Purchased and gave away Thanksgiving meals and Holiday toys ... Part of a defensive backfield that participates in the “All-Community Team” in which they donate a block of tickets for every home game to various youth programs ... Has done events in conjunction with local elementary schools, including Sunland Park and Nova Blanche Foreman Elementary ... Participated in the Miami Dolphins Foundation’s Kids Fishing Clinic and the Foundation’s Fishing Tournament Awards Dinner ... Took part in the inaugural Miami Dolphins Touchdown For Life Blood Drive ... Growing up, the Chicago Bulls were his favorite sports team and Michael Jordan was his favorite athlete ... Lists “Remember the Titans” as favorite movie, “My Wife and Kids” as favorite television show and DMX as favorite recording artist ... Full name is Yeremiah Neavius Bell, born March 3, 1978 in Winchester, Ky.

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