Former Cowboys Quarterback, Notre Dame National Champion, Dies
Quarterback Bob Belden, part of Notre Dame‘s 1966 national championship team who went on to spend two seasons as a backup quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, died May 5. He was 78.
As a backup to future Hall of Fame signal-callers - Joe Theismann at Notre Dame, then Roger Staubach in Dallas - Belden played relatively little either in college or in the NFL.
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When he did play, Belden earned a reputation as a capable drop-back passer with a strong arm. He finished his three-year career in South Bend with eight passes completed on 14 attempts for a total of 137 yards. Belden also rushed for 163 yards on 44 carries.
An outstanding high school player, Belden made the All-Ohio team as a senior at Central Catholic High School in Canton, Ohio. Although he was buried on the Fighting Irish’s depth chart during a resurgent period for the program, he was a member of the school’s Blue Circle Honor Society and graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics.
As a sophomore, Belden was the third-string quarterback on head coach Ara Parseghian’s team that went 9-0-1 and captured the 1966 national championship. Despite tying Michigan State 10-10 in its penultimate game of the season, Notre Dame held the No. 1 ranking in the country for the final seven weeks of the season.
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The Cowboys took a chance on Belden despite his lack of playing time in college. He was selected in the 12th round (308th overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft - ahead of several players who would go on to long careers in the league.
“I was in school and read about being drafted in the newspaper,” Belden said in a 2010 interview. “I was in class when I was actually drafted. I was surprised that the Cowboys were even interested in me given my minimal playing time at Notre Dame. No one sat around and watched or listened to the draft like they do today.”
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Belden never saw any game action during his two seasons in Dallas. The Cowboys went 11-2-1 during his rookie season, and 10-4 in 1970 before reaching their first-ever Super Bowl. The Cowboys lost that game, 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts, in Belden’s final game with the team.
After working at 3M and on the Chicago Board Options Exchange trading options as a market-maker, Belden joined the family business in Ohio. He retired from The Belden Brick Company as Chairman Emeritus in 2025.
Belden is survived by his wife, Kathleen, four children, five siblings and 11 grandchildren.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 9:09 PM.