Central Michigan University Athletics
Bonamego Sparks Excitement in CMU Alums Staley, Bellore
12/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
DETROIT - One day before the current crop of Central Michigan Chippewas take to Ford Field for the Quick Lane Bowl, a pair of former CMU standouts were on the field on the professional level.
Former Chippewas greats Joe Staley and Nick Bellore suited up for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday during their 32-17 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Staley, who is in his ninth year as the 49ers' left offensive tackle, has established himself as one of the NFL's best as his position. A three-time All-Pro, Staley was recently selected to play in his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl.
Bellore is in his fifth year in the league, his first with the 49ers after spending four years with the New York Jets.
Both players said they were extremely happy with their alma mater under first-year coach John Bonamego, himself a former Chippewa player, who led CMU to a share of the Mid-American Conference West Division championship after the Chippewas were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll.
The Chippewas (7-5) will play Minnesota (5-7) Monday in the Quick Lane Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. The game will be carried live on ESPN2.
"You see a lot of times where Central's kind of a steppingstone for coaches and it's good to see someone who wants to be there and make it their life," said Staley, who played at CMU from 2003-06 and was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the 49ers. "Someone who wants to embrace the past and a guy who's been there and knows what it takes.
"I'm excited about it. I'm excited to see the success he had in his first year and the way he was able to utilize the talent, on offense especially. I've been watching from afar and I like what I see."
Staley, a native of Rockford, made his 87th consecutive NFL start on Sunday - he has played in 137 NFL games -- and estimated there were some 80 family and friends among the 61,313 who watched the game at Ford Field.
Staley was one of three Chippewas selected in the 2007 NFL draft - defensive end Dan Bazuin (Chicago) and center Drew Mormino (Miami) were the others - after the Chippewas won the first of back-to-back Mid-American Conference championships.
During Staley's four years at CMU, the Chippewas increased their win total from three in 2003 to 10 in 2006, matching the number for the most victories by a CMU team in 32 years. CMU capped off that season with a 31-10 win over Ohio in the MAC title game and a 31-14 victory over Middle Tennessee State in the Motor City Bowl, the Chippewas' first Division I bowl victory.
"That seems like a lifetime ago," said Staley, 31, who came into to CMU as a tight end and was moved to tackle after his redshirt freshman season. "I was very close to transferring from Central because I was all about the glory (playing tight end) and never saw that this was going to be the future for me.
"Central was a great opportunity for me to grow athletically as well it was just a great college life. It was a lot of fun. I have nothing but great memories of Central."
While Staley was drafted in the first round, Bellore took a much longer road to the professional ranks. He went undrafted and caught on as a free agent with the New York Jets in 2011. He has excelled throughout his career on special teams. He has been credited with 16 tackles this season, including one on Sunday against the Lions.
"It's been great, fifth year, staying healthy, that's what it's all about - try and stay healthy, make plays out there," said Bellore, who was the Chippewas' defensive most valuable player as a linebacker in 2008 and '09, helping lead CMU to the MAC title and a victory in the GMAC Bowl in 2009. "I've been fortunate to play for five years. I'm looking forward to another five."
Bellore, 26 and a native of Whitefish Bay, Wis., ranks third in CMU history with 472 career tackles and his 148 stops in 2008 rank third in Chippewa history for a single season.
He said playing with an attitude helped during his college days, and that same attitude has helped him survive, and thrive, in the NFL.
"It's always been kind of an uphill battle for me personally," he said. "People kind of doubted me all through my levels of football. Central Michigan was the only school to offer me a scholarship and I'm sure glad I took it because that experience was wonderful.
"My key is making plays on special teams, that's what I do. If I need to play defense that's what I'm ready for as well. That's the key to longevity in this sport, having a job and doing it well."
Staley and Bellore are among an ever-growing list of Chippewas for whom professional football has become a reality. Among that group is the Pittsburgh Steelers' Antonio Brown, who is on the very short list of best receivers in the game; Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Thomas Rawls; San Diego Chargers safety Jahleel Addae; and Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Fisher, who was the No. 1 selection in the 2013 NFL draft.
"Exciting to see what Antonio's doing, obviously," Staley said. "He's one of the top players in the NFL. I've gotten a chance to play with Nick and see Addae over there in San Diego. All the guys who have come through Central and have dreams of playing in the NFL. It's cool to see those dreams, that they can go through Central Michigan."
There is no question, Bellore said, that playing at CMU helped lay the foundation for the continued success that so many Chippewas are enjoying now on the professional level.
"I think there's just a hardworking undertone to what we do," he said. "When I first got into the NFL, there were a couple (Central) guys here and there, and now almost every game you walk across to the other side of the field after the game to shake hands and you're shaking hands with a guy from Central Michigan. It's a testament to our program there, the coaches, the work we've put in as a group.
"I think we all have a chip on our shoulder. If you look at Joe Staley and Antonio Brown, myself -- a lot of guys, Jahleel Addae, Thomas Rawls. I mean they're not high recruits (coming out of high school) and they got passed on by a lot of schools. I think it's something that motivates us every day."
Bellore wholeheartedly shares Staley's sentiment about the leadership, and the direction, of the Chippewa program.
"I love to come back, especially with coach Bono," Bellore said. "He does a great job of reconnecting with former players. I'm real excited about the direction the program is going. It feels like it did back when me and Staley and Antonio and LeFevour and all those guys were playing, and on and on. That's real exciting. It was fun to see them up in the stands today watching the game."
