‘Always Part of My Life’: Marquis Johnson Plays with Memory of Mom

In the fall of 2024, Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson called his mother, Denise Bell, with a plan for their future.

"He's like, 'Mama, when I go to the NFL, you have to come with me," Bell recalled in an interview with MissouriOnSI in October of 2024. “'I don't care what you have going on, you have to come with me.'"

Bell won’t be able to move with Johnson as he follows his dream. She died in April at the age of 39.

The last game Bell ever watched her son play in was the best of his career so far. He caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, showing off his ability to be a leading receiver in Missouri's offense, a role he's expected to step into in his junior season in 2025.

Bell watched the game from the stands at Nissan Stadium, wearing Johnson's jersey and a pin with a picture of him on it. Now, Johnson wears a necklace with a picture of his mother as a child. She won't be in the stands for anymore of Johnson's games, but instead will be there in his mind.

“Just symbolizing that she’s a part of my life,” Johnson said of the necklace in an interview with MissouriOnSI during fall camp. “She will always be part of my life.”

Marquis Johnson (center) poses with his late mother, Denise Bell, (right) and his father, Dominique Johnson (left) — Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson (center) poses with his late mother, Denise Bell, (right) and his father, Dominique Johnson, (left) after the 2024 Music City Bowl. Johnson set career-highs in receptions and receiving yards and scored his first touchdown on the season in what would end up being the last game his mother watched him play in. | Marquis Johnson (@quis.wrld) on Instagram

In the months since his mother’s passing, Johnson says he’s thought about her “every day, all day.” For the first 20 years of his life, she was right there by his side in every moment.

“He's a mama's boy, and that's my baby," Bell said. "He's just used to me always being there."

The two called each other every single day. Having to be split apart when Johnson left for college was difficult enough. When she was getting ready to leave him at his dorm, he started crying. She held it together, waiting to cry until she was back in the car.

A few days after dropping him off in Missouri, Johnson was constantly texting and calling Bell, telling her that he wanted to be back with her in Texas. But she put her foot down, reminding him of the importance of sticking to the process in order to reach his goal of playing in the NFL.

“I was like ‘This is what you have to do to make it to the next level,’” Bell recalled saying.

In the months since Bell’s passing, Johnson has had to remind himself to stay focused on that goal, even through the long process of grieving, which has caused him to struggle to fall asleep at all on some nights.

“It's been hard to balance,” Johnson said.”I’m going to think of my mom regardless, but I gotta mainly focus on football.”

Johnson isn’t forgetting about his mom or pushing his feelings down though. Whenever emotions invade his presentness, he doesn’t meet them with resistance.

“I just take a moment to myself,” Johnson said. “Depending on where I'm at, I cry. Let it out. Other than that, I just think about her, give my time to her for a minute, and then I get back to doing what I'm doing.”

When she was alive, Bell was always the first person Johnson would call in these types of moments.

“He talks to me about a lot of things that he won't talk to (anyone else) about,” Bell said. “He knows I'm not gonna judge. I'm just gonna give my honest opinion and I'm gonna have his back.”

Since her passing, Johnson’s schedule has included empty slots that used to be taken up by phone calls with her.

“It’s just hard waking up in the morning not being able to talk to my mom,” Johnson said.

Even though Johnson can't call her, he still hears from her.

He remembers the lessons she taught him, trying to seek the advice she would give him in a situation. Her advice continues to inspire his work ethic.

“You can't let nobody else dictate what you got going on or handle or anything you got,” Johnson said of what Bell taught him. “You just got to go get it yourself.”

He also takes after her compassion. As a nurse and mother, Bell dedicated her life to caring for others.

“As a mother, you want to always be the person that your child can lean on and come to,” Bell said.

Johnson described Bell as being “outgoing” and having a “very kind heart." Someone who was able to get along with anybody. Those traits have stayed alive within Johnson, even as he goes through some of the toughest months of his life.

After a fall camp practice on his way to a press conference, Johnson ran into two friends, teasing and joking with them with a smile on his face, putting on display the son Bell described as “very goofy and playful.”

The relationships Johnson has formed at Missouri with his teammates, coaches and support staff have made the program a safe haven for him. The football field is an escape in itself, too.

“When I'm playing, or when I'm in the facility or around the guys, when I'm with Mizzou, when I'm with my people, with football, it just takes my mind off everything,” Johnson said.

Johnson wants to share that impact and closeness with others, stepping up as a welcoming leader for the team this offseason.

“We just bring him in as a brother,” Johnson said of how the wide receiver room treats new players. "We don’t try to pick on him, nothing like that.”

In a time when nobody would blame Johnson if he struggled to keep it together, instead, his steadiness has been a point of inspiration for his teammates.

“He's been emotionally really consistent,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a press conference. “If the ball is not coming to him, he just finds ways to play forward. When the ball comes to him, he makes the play there and he's constantly encouraging teammates.”

Johnson has also had the coaching staff by his side, encouraging him along the way. Offensive assistant Keyan Williams travelled with Johnson back to Texas for Bell’s funeral, making sure Johnson knew he was supported and would be okay.

On the first day of practice of fall camp during stretches, wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler came up to Johnson, giving the receiver a pep talk with his hands on Johnson's shoulders. He says Peeler has been there for him every day.

Later during warm-ups for the same practice, Drinkwitz came up to Johnson, hugging him while giving a pep talk.

The voice Johnson will have in his head when he hits the field this season though will be his late mother’s. Her compassion will stay alive through him. Her goal to see him make it to the NFL will be what motivates him through everything.

She won’t be in the stands, but Johnson will have her on the field with him by wearing custom-designed pink cleats with the message “R.I.P. Mom, I love you.” His mouthguard will also be pink, her favorite color. He’ll wear a towel that says “Long live my mom.”

Johnson and the Tigers open the season on Aug. 28, the four-month anniversary of Bell’s passing. On his hand, Johnson has tattooed the Roman numerals of the date of his mother’s death.

For every catch and step Johnson makes, his mother will be right there with him.

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