Kahlil Bell was born in Santa Rosa and attended Montgomery High School for two years before transferring to Marin Catholic. At MC, he lettered and excelled in football, basketball, and track.

In 2003 and 2004, The San Francisco Chronicle named Bell Regional Football Player of the Year. As a senior, Bell was named All-Metro on both offense and defense and was awarded Player of the Year. He led the Bay Area in rushing with 2,292 yards and 31 touchdowns and set school records for most rushing yards in a season, most touchdowns in a season, most carries in a season, and the highest average per carry. Bell still holds the Marin Catholic record for touchdowns in a season with 30, including 23 in the MCAL. In basketball, Bell’s teams won three league titles and the North Coast Section Championship his senior year.

After graduating with honors from Marin Catholic, Bell earned a full ride football scholarship to UCLA. As a freshman, Bell won the MVP award at the Sun Bowl where he gained 136 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Injuries throughout his college career (including a torn ACL) did not stop Bell from pursuing his dream of making it to the NFL. In 2009 Bell was signed to the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent. His first NFL carry set a NFL record with a 72 yard run. He played with the Bears for four years before signing with the Jets in 2013. He ended his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers in 2014, making him a five year NFL Alumnus.

Still having the passion and love for football, Bell became the running backs coach at San Francisco City College. In 2015 his team won the National Championship. The following year Bell joined the Archbishop Riodian Crusaders to coach alongside his brother Darius Bell (former UCLA quarterback and wide receiver) who is now the Assistant Athletic Director and Offensive Coordinator at Serra High School. After the NFL, Bell went back to UCLA to finish his Bachelor's Degree.