Joe Bellino
Encyclopedia
Joseph Michael Bellino (born March 13, 1938) is a former American football
halfback
in the American Football League
for the Boston Patriots
. He won the Heisman Trophy
in 1960.
, Massachusetts
, attended the town's public schools, and was a three-sport star at Winchester High School. In baseball
he batted well over .400 and was courted by major league teams. The basketball
team on which he starred won the state championship his sophomore and junior years. They moved up to the Class A (largest schools) tournament his senior year, where the team's 55 game winning streak came to an end at the hands of much larger B.M.C. Durfee High School
of Fall River
. He was a dominant halfback
on Winchester's outstanding football team, although his senior season was shortened by the 1955 polio epidemic.
, 34-33. In the fall of 1957, Bellino entered the United States Naval Academy
in Annapolis, Maryland
along with his former high-school teammate, Frank Dattilo. During his freshman year, the Plebes matched up against the Penn State
freshmen and their star player Lew Luce
. Penn State won the game 23-13 but Bellino took a lateral from his Columbian teammate Harry Dietz, and scored on an 85 yard kickoff return.
He was an outstanding baseball player at Navy, but his legendary exploits occurred on the football field. In his senior year, he rushed for 834 yards, caught 15 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns, threw two touchdown passes, averaged 47.1 yards as a punter, and returned kicks and punts. He won the 1960 Heisman Trophy
by a wide margin, garnering the most votes in each of the five national voting regions. In Bellino's final college football
game, Navy's loss to the University of Missouri
in the 1961 Orange Bowl, he scored his team's final touchdown with a spectacular diving catch in the end zone.
Following graduation, Ensign Bellino began his four years of active Navy service, until he was discharged to reserve duty.
in 17th round of the 1961 NFL Draft
by the Washington Redskins
, as well as in the 19th round of the 1961 AFL Draft
by the Boston Patriots
. He decided to join the Patriots of the American Football League
, and played three seasons, primarily as a kick returner. He is the lowest drafted Heisman Trophy
winner in the history of the NFL
.
Joe Bellino also played for the Providence Steamrollers semi-pro team in Providence RI at the Mt. Pleasant High School football field.
and the Naval Reserve, and retired with the rank of Captain.
Since the close of his playing career, he has been a successful businessman in the Boston area, where he has also been active in charitable organizations. He and his wife, Ann Tansey, have two children, Therese and John, and currently live in Bedford, Massachusetts
.
Bellino Park in Winchester was dedicated in his honor in November 2004.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
for the Boston Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He won the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
in 1960.
Early life
Bellino was born in WinchesterWinchester, Massachusetts
Winchester is a town located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, eight miles north of Boston. With its agricultural roots having mostly disappeared, it is now an affluent suburb...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, attended the town's public schools, and was a three-sport star at Winchester High School. In baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
he batted well over .400 and was courted by major league teams. The basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team on which he starred won the state championship his sophomore and junior years. They moved up to the Class A (largest schools) tournament his senior year, where the team's 55 game winning streak came to an end at the hands of much larger B.M.C. Durfee High School
B.M.C. Durfee High School
B.M.C. Durfee High School is an historic former high school building at 289 Rock Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.The school was built in 1886 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981...
of Fall River
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
. He was a dominant halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
on Winchester's outstanding football team, although his senior season was shortened by the 1955 polio epidemic.
College career
During his 1956-57 year at Columbian Academy in Washington D.C., Bellino starred in both football and basketball. On November 25, Bellino scored three touchdowns in Columbian's upset win over the Navy PlebesPlebe summer
Plebe Summer is the summer training program which is required of all incoming freshmen to the United States Naval Academy. The program lasts approximately 6 weeks and consists of rigorous physical and mental training...
, 34-33. In the fall of 1957, Bellino entered the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
along with his former high-school teammate, Frank Dattilo. During his freshman year, the Plebes matched up against the Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
freshmen and their star player Lew Luce
Lew Luce
Llewellyn Attsett Luce, Jr. was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins...
. Penn State won the game 23-13 but Bellino took a lateral from his Columbian teammate Harry Dietz, and scored on an 85 yard kickoff return.
He was an outstanding baseball player at Navy, but his legendary exploits occurred on the football field. In his senior year, he rushed for 834 yards, caught 15 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns, threw two touchdown passes, averaged 47.1 yards as a punter, and returned kicks and punts. He won the 1960 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
by a wide margin, garnering the most votes in each of the five national voting regions. In Bellino's final college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game, Navy's loss to the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in the 1961 Orange Bowl, he scored his team's final touchdown with a spectacular diving catch in the end zone.
Following graduation, Ensign Bellino began his four years of active Navy service, until he was discharged to reserve duty.
Professional career
Bellino was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in 17th round of the 1961 NFL Draft
1961 NFL Draft
The 1961 National Football League Draft took place on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise, and the Vikings were also awarded the first selection position in this draft. This draft was also the first regular draft for...
by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, as well as in the 19th round of the 1961 AFL Draft
1961 American Football League Draft
Because another league was in competition for the class of 1961 college stars, the American Football League draft for 1961 graduates was actually held in 1960, with a six-round telephone draft on November 23, that saw the Denver Broncos select New Mexico State's Bob Gaiters as the overall first...
by the Boston Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He decided to join the Patriots of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
, and played three seasons, primarily as a kick returner. He is the lowest drafted Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner in the history of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Joe Bellino also played for the Providence Steamrollers semi-pro team in Providence RI at the Mt. Pleasant High School football field.
After football
Bellino served a total of 28 years in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the Naval Reserve, and retired with the rank of Captain.
Since the close of his playing career, he has been a successful businessman in the Boston area, where he has also been active in charitable organizations. He and his wife, Ann Tansey, have two children, Therese and John, and currently live in Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
.
Bellino Park in Winchester was dedicated in his honor in November 2004.