Education
Belden attended Central Catholic High School, becoming a starter at quarterback as a junior and registering a 4-3-3 record. In his final year, his team finished with a 6-3-1 record.
Belden attended Central Catholic High School, becoming a starter at quarterback as a junior and registering a 4-3-3 record. In his final year, his team finished with a 6-3-1 record.
He played college football for the University of Notre Dame. He accepted a scholarship from the University of Notre Dame, where he was the third-string quarterback behind Terry Hanratty and Joe Theismann. As a senior, he was 3-for-3 in passing and 8-for-14 in his career, although he didn"t reach the minimum playing time to be lettered.
Dallas Cowboys
Belden was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the twelfth round (308th overall) of the 1969 NFL draft, even though he never started a game in college.
As a rookie, he was able to make the team after Jerry Rhome was traded to the Cleveland Browns and Don Meredith unexpectedly retired. He was waived on September 9, 1970 and placed on the taxi squad.
At the end of the year, he decided to pursue a career in the private sector. Belden worked at the Chicago Board Options Exchange, before being named the Chief Executive Officer at the Belden Brick Company.