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Theopolis "T" Bell, a nimble wide receiver who set UA records and went on to play nine seasons in the NFL, died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 52.

Bell's wife, Joan, told the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune he had been suffering from polycystic kidney disease and scleroderma, a hardening of the skin that can be life-threatening. Bell had been in St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa for the last two months, she said.

Reached Wednesday, former UA coach Jim Young remembered Bell as an intense competitor who used a good first step and superb hands to climb Arizona's career receiving charts.

Bell gained 4,943 all-purpose yards from 1972 to 1975, placing him second at the time behind 1950s star Art Luppino. Bell was a member of the Star's all-century team in 1999.

Bell's average of 15.59 yards per touch was the best in school history and tops in the NCAA by the time he left the UA after the 1975 season.

"It was better even than (1972 Heisman Trophy winner) Johnny Rodgers'," said Young, who coached Bell at the UA from 1973 to 1975. "He was right there with the NCAA's best. He made so many great catches for us, he returned all our punts, and he was a great kickoff man."

Young remembered that Bell would not catch passes in preseason drills out of superstition.

"But when game time came," Young said, "he had those great hands."

UA spokesman Tom Duddleston Jr. said he watched Bell from the Arizona Stadium stands when both were students at the UA.

Duddleston remembered the Bakersfield, Calif., native as the biggest playmaker on a team filled with exciting players such as Bruce Hill, Willie Hamilton and Jim Upchurch. The Wildcats finished 9-2 in 1974 and 1975.

"It was awesome stuff," Duddleston said. "He was like Dennis Northcutt or Mike Thomas or Trung Canidate — a big-play guy who was really fun to watch. Those 9-2 seasons were our best ever at the time."

Bell parlayed his Arizona success into a lengthy, if unspectacular, pro career. He was a fourth-round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1976 NFL draft and stayed with the club for four seasons.

His best pro season came in 1980 when he caught 29 passes for 748 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers. Bell earned two Super Bowl rings with Pittsburgh.

Bell also played five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring.

Bell then worked in the insurance business and for GEARUP, a program that teaches at-risk middle-schoolers the value of education.

Funeral services are pending.