Bellisari makes difference with Dayton
Published on May 4, 2005 under National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Dayton Bulldogs News Release
DAYTON, Ohio â He sat out of football for three years. A chance meeting in a most unlikely situation brought Steve Bellisari and Matt King together.
"Coach King was doing some consulting with youth and I knew the parents of one of the kids," said Bellisari, the former Ohio State standout quarterback. "He asked me if I would be interested in playing for the Warbirds, and I thought it would be great."
Bellisari works and lives in Columbus and commutes to the evening practices in Dayton.
After being selected in the 6th round of the 2002 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams, Steve never really got to play, except in the preseason. Moved to safety, he sustained several injuries, was placed on injured reserve for the entire 2002 season and then was released on April 30, 2003, prior to the regular season.
"I really enjoy the indoor game," he said. "It's fast paced you can score a lot of points. I like being on one of the highest scoring teams in the league (59.6 a game)."
In the 59-52 overtime win against Lakeland, Bellisari had 301 all-purpose yards and tossed 6 touchdowns for 194 yards. He had 106 rushing yards and two scores.
"I knew I would need a good quarterback in this league," said coach King. "His technique out of college was not good, but I've been able to work with him and he's really improved."
All the scouting reports on Bellisari said he was "a tremendous athlete who was very physical and would not shy away from contact." That in itself is enough to realize he could run with the ball.
At Ohio State, the 6-foot-3 Bellisari passed for 5,878 yards and 35 touchdowns but also ran for 825 yards on 306 carries (2.7 average).
In five NIFL games, he has carried the ball 69 times for 236 yards and nine touchdowns. His rushing totals and average (47.2) per game could place in the league's rushing leaders and his 1,058 total offensive yards (211.6 per game, 5.6 per play) could move him up from 7th.
"He's such a big part of our offense," said King, whose Warbirds are on the road to Montgomery (Alabama) Maulers this Saturday and play Cincinnati at the Nutter Center at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night, May 9th. "We've got to be prepared and win on the road, but the Cincinnati game is really important."
National Indoor Football League Stories from May 4, 2005
- Hawgs top NIFL in defensive stats - Daytona Beach Hawgs
- Mauler Memo - Montgomery Bears
- Rage slated for special Mothers Day game against New Jersey - RiverCity Rage
- Bellisari makes difference with Dayton - Dayton Bulldogs
- Dayton among NIFL's best on offense and defense - Dayton Bulldogs
- Kreatures âred zone' scoring leaders - Kissimmee Kreatures
- Lakeland's Kratz rejuvenates his career - Lakeland ThunderBolts
- Morays turn to fans for new offensive plays - Miami Morays
- Now is your chance to "Ask Deryl Lane" - Miami Morays
- Guard Participates in ACES - Fayetteville Guard
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