By John Ingoldsby | Engagement Insider
The encased football sitting on a shelf behind Joe Bellino in his office generally captures the core of his amazing life.
It represents his Heisman Trophy time at the U.S. Naval Academy and his three years playing with the New England Patriots, while also highlighting just one of many lifelong friendships that began in Annapolis more than 50 years ago.
The inscription reads: “Game Ball Presented to Joe Bellino – With warmest wishes during the holidays and with appreciation for your support & friendship. Bill Belichick, December 2007.”
A memento from the final month of the Patriots historic undefeated regular season that underscores the bond these two have had during these many decades
“Bill’s father Steve was one of my coaches at Navy, so I have known him since he was about five years old,” he recalled fondly.
So when Bellino signed with Boston’s American Football League (AFL) team in 1965, five years after winning the Heisman followed by being on active duty, he could never have imagined how that little boy would later lift that fledgling franchise into the gridiron glory it enjoys today.
And how appropriate that he would play pro football on a hometown team called the Patriots, particularly since he learned of the then five-year-old organization’s interest by receiving a telegram at sea when he was serving on a Minesweeper off Vietnam.
He had also received at that time a telegram from the Washington Redskins, who like the Patriots had drafted him in 1961 following his legendary career as a Navy running back, receiver and kick returner.
“I was bouncing around in the South China Sea, and the Redskins offered me a tryout and the Patriots offered me a contract,” recalled Bellino. “So since I grew up near Boston anyway, I thought it was time to give pro football a try.”
Once on board, the Winchester, MA native got right into action.
“I started practice on a Thursday, and the next night we played a rookie game against the New York Jets and their new quarterback – Joe Namath,” remembered Bellino. “Because of Joe, the game got a lot of publicity and I started off well as a runner and returner.”
But it was short-lived.
“The very next practice after that game, I stepped in a hole and broke my ankle, so I was pretty much on the mend the next two years, but then my third year I did well on returns, and was running and receiving behind Gino Cappelletti, one of the all-time greats,” he noted.
Then soon after that season, it was decision time for the 1961 Annapolis graduate.
“I was drafted by the new Cincinnati Bengals team in the expansion draft, and since I didn’t start playing in the pros until age 27, I was already 30 years old, and I chose not to go out there,” he recollected.
So he began a life in business and also joined the Naval Reserve, beginning what would become long and successful careers in both.
During his 28 years in the Reserves, he was in the ship repair section where one weekend a month and two-to-four weeks per year, he would work up and down the East Coast.
“I was with the skeleton crews used by the Reserves to augment repairs for the Ship Activation Maintenance & Repairs (SAMA) section, serving at bases in places like Newport, Rhode Island and Portsmouth, New Hampshire,” he reminisced, adding that he also served as a Navy Liaison Officer dealing with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).
And even though he retired with the rank of Captain, he never really retired since the Navy is still part of his daily life.
“Practically all of my closest friends today are Academy teammates, roommates, and classmates, who I keep in touch with and see at reunions during football weekends in Annapolis,” he said, adding, “Simply put, my best friends are those I met in the military.”
But friends are not his only enduring Navy ties, since he has a son that has largely followed in his footsteps.
“My son John graduated from the Academy in 1989, then went on active duty, and now for years has also been in the Naval Reserve, working with an intelligence unit,” he proudly pronounced. “And now I attend Navy games with my son and grandsons.”
A Salute to Service that Bellino will continue this Veterans Day weekend when he attends a Semper Fidelis Society Marine Corps Luncheon in Boston, preceded by a related event the evening before.
The Navy even continues to cross over into his job outside Boston with one of the world’s largest vehicle auction companies.
“Every Friday, we host dealers for auctions, and those among this large group who are Navy veterans line up outside my office and request “Permission to Come Aboard, Sir?” he quipped. “Of course I respond, “Permission Granted,” and we sit down and talk about the Navy.”
And when they are done talking, Bellino need only look over his shoulder at the Game Ball that speaks to his life as a Patriot.
(Photos courtesy of U.S. Naval Academy)