Steve Bellisari

Bellisari, a special teams player and a defensive back his first year, replaced Joe Germaine as the Ohio State starting quarterback in 1999. He had a stellar prep career at Boca Raton High School

In contrast to the accurate Germaine, Bellisari was a more athletic, yet at times erratic thrower. Notably, however, Bellisari's interception rate was 3.82%, lower than more highly recognized Ohio State quarterbacks Art Schlichter, Mike Tomczak, Greg Frey, and Bobby Hoying. Bellisari experienced an increasingly controversial tenure as Ohio State's starting quarterback, culminating in a one-game suspension towards the end of his senior season following an arrest for drunk driving.^[1] He was re-instated before the Michigan game, but did not start.^[1][2] Bellisari traveled with the team to the 2002 Outback Bowl against South Carolina, where he finished his career as a substitute, leading Ohio State back from a large deficit to tie the game before giving up an interception that allowed South Carolina to kick a winning field goal.^[3]

Bellisari was drafted 205th overall by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft and converted to safety.^[5] After being out of football, in 2005, Bellisari played for the Dayton Warbirds of the NIFL, an indoor football league, and later moved up to the Manchester Wolves in the second half of the 2005 af2 season, leading them into the playoffs with four straight victories to finish out the year. Rarely turning the ball over in his stay with the Wolves, Bellisari was driving the Wolves down the field late in the fourth quarter when he threw his last pass as a Wolf, a game-sealing interception to the Florida Firecats. The final score was Florida 40, Manchester 39.

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