It’s been a sad year so far for the Navy football family. During the first two weeks of 2019 the academy lost two former coaches in Coaldale native George Welsh, who led the midshipmen from 1973-81 and died Jan. 2 at the age of 85; and Rick Forzano (1969-72), who died Jan. 9 at the age of 90.

On March 27, we learned that Joe Bellino, the great Navy halfback, died at the age of 81 from an aggressive cancer. He was one of two Navy players to win the Heisman Trophy — Roger Staubach being the other.

Both Welsh and Bellino were tremendous leaders whose presence inspired those associated with football but also outside of sports.

After Welsh passed away, Chet Gladchuk, Navy’s Director of Athletics, gave a glowing tribute, calling him an inspirational educator who influenced the lives of many young men in their moral, mental and physical formative years.

“George had integrity, character, accountability, determination and standards that motivated those around him to always take whatever the task was to the next level,” he stated.

“If you competed or worked for Coach Welsh, you quickly understood that actions spoke louder than words, and leadership by example was always his way of life and his marching orders. His legacy has and will continue to motivate us in the most meaningful ways every day.”

Bellino was cut from the same cloth. After football, he became a successful businessman in the Boston area, where he was also active in charitable organizations.

The Boston Globe obituary stated that Bellino always chose family over fame or fortune, and viewed his celebrity not as an entitlement, but as an obligation to help and support others less fortunate.

He was a man without ego, it stated, and approached life with a quiet humility that emphasized character, honor, charity, devotion to help others wherever he believed he could make a difference, and love for his family.

Bellino met with presidents and befriended such American luminaries of his day as Bob Hope, Rocky Marciano, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, but the obituary writer said it was apparent Joe would have traded every second of those encounters for just one more moment with his family.

The only trophies in his home were pictures of family and friends.

After he won the distinguished Heisman trophy, the top individual honor awarded in college football, Bellino was asked by a sportswriter if there was anything else he would like to accomplish that year. He answered that John Kennedy was another person from Massachusetts doing pretty well and that he hoped to meet the president someday.

A day later, Bellino received a telegram from JFK, a huge Navy football fan, who related that he would send a limousine to pick up Bellino and a few friends to take them to the Kennedy residence in Georgetown.

George Curry, Pennsylvania’s winningest high school football coach whose Berwick teams dominated for decades, was a Temple University product who was gifted with the same leadership and motivational skills as Welsh and Bellino.

Curry, who lost his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease three years ago at the age of 71, was committed to faith, family, friends and players, in that order. One of his greatest players — Bo Orlando — reflected after Curry’s death that the coach found the most pleasure in molding young students into young men.

To him personally, Orlando said Curry started as a coach, turned into a teacher, then into a father figure. But most of all he was a friend.

When athletes and coaches of great skill and achievement transcend their sport, impacting as many people off the field as they do for those in their profession, it speaks volumes to their character and enduring legacy.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com