Career
He was the first football player from the to be named an All-American. He was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1963. A native of Mason City, Iowa, Belding was a star football player for Mason City High School from 1914 to 1917.
Football
Belding enrolled at the where he played football for legendary coach Howard Jones.
He was a consensus Football All-American at the end position in 1919, the first player from the to receive the honor. He was also a three-time first team All-Big Ten Conference selection.
Track
Belding was also the captain of Iowa"s track team in 1921, competing in the 100 and 220-yard dashes. After graduating from Iowa in 1922, Belding became a coach.
He coached at a prep school in Boulder, Colorado.
In 1923, Belding accepted a coaching position in Clinton, Iowa, where he coached two state championship football teams. He next accepted a position at the freshman coach at the University of North Carolina. He later served as the high school coach at Greensboro, North Carolina for seven years.
In 1933, Belding returned to Iowa where he was put in charge of high school athletics at Reinbeck, Iowa.
From 1934 to 1945, he was the athletic director and head football and basketball coach at Dakota Wesleyan College in Mitchell, South Dakota. He finished his career serving 20 years, from 1945 to 1965, as a track and football coach and athletic director at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. in 1963, Belding was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
Belding died of a heart attack in 1965 at age 64. He was posthumously inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.