Two-hand touch football. A staple of many childhoods. Surrounded by little boys in a backyard in Kenilworth, New Jersey, Haddiyah Bell played the sport she loved — and changed some minds along the way.
“I was about in like second, third grade,” Bell said. “I kept running the ball, kept scoring, and eventually one of the little boys did end up tackling me. He thought I was gonna start crying. So I got in on defense, hit him with the same thing, and he started crying. Football’s just always been my thing. I love football.”
Bell’s connection to the game runs through her family. Her uncle, Khaseem Greene, was a first-team All-American at Rutgers University and got drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft. As a little kid, Bell would go to his games.
”She attended a numerous amount of games throughout his career and was always locked in while watching him play,” said Bell’s mother, Tyiesha. “Haddiyah was always very excited, interested and highly invested when she was able to attend the games and was able to talk about details of the games as if she was older than she were.”
Bell kept that excitement for football through high school, when she joined the Weequahic High School flag football team in her junior year. In her senior year, she threw for over 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns in just 10 games. Despite her success, her mom was, at first, hesitant to see her on the football field.
After a successful two-year career at Weequahic High School, Haddiyah Bell elected to continue her football journey at Montclair State.
Tim David | The Montclarion
“To be honest, I didn’t like it at first. I was so scared my baby was going to get hurt and become rough, but over time, I became invested and locked in with her,” Bell’s mother said. “Watching her work hard and fly around on the field during games is an awesome feeling as a parent. Watching her dreams become a reality is absolutely a great feeling.”
Her football journey continued after high school, as she committed to Montclair State University in May of 2025. She became the quarterback of the flag football team, the first flag football team in the school’s history. While this historic feat is impressive in itself, her ability to balance her athletic responsibilities with her academics is even more impressive.
“She actually has a 3.6 GPA as a freshman,” said Montclair State flag football head coach Jim Kelly. “And then also being a student athlete in a first-year program tells you what type of young lady she is. She’s focused, understands her requirements on and off the field.”
The transition from high school to college athletics can be a challenge, especially for a quarterback. The level of competition is higher, and the pressure for success is greater. Bell has not been immune to these struggles.
“It’s been rocky, I’m not gonna lie,” said Bell. “Being that I’m a freshman, first time playing college football, I don’t got that much years of experience, but I do have experience. It’s more fast-paced than it was in high school. Just being young, I’m still learning the quarterback position, and I’m trying my best out there.”
Haddiyah Bell has combined for 20 total touchdowns for Montclair State flag football, helping the Red Hawks to the top seed in the ECAC playoffs. Photo courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
Bell is one of 10 freshmen on the team. Through their growing pains, they’ve still managed to be 11-1 on the season, and are now first in the Eastern College Athletic Conference standings. These freshmen will grow with the team through their time as Red Hawks, and Bell just might be one of the prominent voices in the locker room.
“Right now I’m learning everybody else still,” said Bell. “I try to get in that leader role as much as I can, try to step up and talk as much as I can. Definitely by the time I get to senior year, probably even next year, I feel like I’ll be talking up way more than I do now.”
When you talk to her teammates, the impact that Bell has is already substantial. Class level may appear like something that would affect locker room dynamics, but Sofia Del Grosso, one of the few upperclassmen on the team, didn’t bat an eye when asked about what Bell has meant.
“She means everything to our team,” said Del Grosso. “We obviously cherish each and every one of our athletes here, but Haddiyah truly is something special and just another leader on the team that you can always look up to. If you’re ever having a hard time, or just need a smile, or just anything in general, she’s the one that is always there for everyone.”
"Haddiyah truly is something special," said junior quarterback Sofia Del Grosso (pictured center). "If you’re ever having a hard time, or just need a smile, or just anything in general, she’s the one that is always there for everyone.”
Tim David | The Montclarion
From her cousin’s backyard in Kenilworth to Sprague Field on the campus of Montclair State University, there’s one constant in Haddiyah Bell’s journey — competing. Competing when others didn’t believe in her, competing through high school, and competing on her largest stage yet. That competitiveness has never faded away.
