Bellmar was a football powerhouse
Bellmar High School was in existence from 1951 to 1964 and the Hurricanes were a football powerhouse. Bellmar played 129 games and posted a record of 85-37-7.
One of the great Bellmar teams, the undefeated 1963 squad, recently got together for a reunion and after 48 years the memories flowed like fine wine.
Coach Bap Manzini had been grooming his seniors for a run at a WPIAL title in 1963.
“We used to go up to the Fayette City Recreation Center and we were supposed to be playing basketball,” senior halfback Chuck Humphries said. “Bap would be running the Rec Center and he would say, ‘Get that round ball out of here’ and we would run through our offense during the wintertime. He kept our group together as a unit.”
The season almost imploded in the first game against East Huntington when the Hurricanes lost senior quarterback Denny Manzini with a broken collarbone.
“That was very scary and that was Coach Manzini’s son,” Humphries recalled. “He had been groomed to be our quarterback for a least two years and then to have him go out the first game was really a shocker. Harry Muckle came in at quarterback and he did a great job as far as holding us together and keeping us going as a backup quarterback, because I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to be in there quite so soon.”
“I ended up being the quarterback and I got full support of the players that were in there at the time,” Muckle stated. “We struggled through that game, but did quite well afterward.”
Bellmar defeated East Huntington 7-0 on a late third quarter touchdown by fullback Aland Senko.
“I don’t think East Huntington was that good,” said Humphries. “I think it was a combination of having our hopes dashed real quick when Denny went down and it probably took a lot out of us and our focus wasn’t there. We were very, very lucky to squeak through that one.” Manzini returned at quarterback after a five-game absence.
The Hurricanes rolled after the East Huntington game. Sparked by Senko, a three-year veteran, Manzini’s crew rolled up 2,363 net yards on the ground and 655 through the air for 3,018 offensive yards. Meanwhile, the strong defense limited the opposition to 622 yards on the ground and 459 passing for a 1,081 combined mark. The ‘Canes held a 163 to 62 advantage in first downs, recovered eight fumbles and intercepted 11 passes.
Bellmar steamrolled to an unblemished record with victories over East Huntingdon, 7-0; German Township, 40-0; Albert Gallatin, 20-12; South Union, 26-0; Rostraver, 32-14; North Union, 12-0; California, 39-7; Fairchance-Georges, 40-7; Dunbar, 33-0, and Perryopolis (Mary Fuller Frazier), 43-6.
In posting that record, they became the second Bellmar team in five years (the 1959 club also was 10-0-0) to be undefeated and win the Fay-A-Con championship.
They also extended the Hurricanes’ two-year winning streak to 11 straight games. The unbeaten string extended to 16 games before Bellmar bowed 13-7 to North Union on Oct. 17, 1964. The ’64 team finished with a 9-1-0 mark.
North Union almost upset the applecart in 1963 as Bellmar got by the Rams, 12-0.
“Every year we had a battle with North Union,” Muckle said. “As long as I can remember even before we were in high school, it was North Union and Bellmar battling for the championship and throw in Albert Gallatin now and then.”
The win over arch-rival Rostraver was also very special for the ’63 Canes.
“The Rostraver game was always a big game for us and I think when we met them we were both 4-0,” Humphries said. “That was a pivotal game when we beat them 32-14.”
The mastermind behind Bellmar’s football success was veteran coach Baptiste J. “Bap” Manzini.
“He was tough guy, but he was fair,” Humphries opined. “I coached football for 25 or 30 years in Virginia and he’d never get away with half the stuff he did with us. He was always great for grabbing the face mask and getting up in your face. He got your attention. He was a very good fundamental coach.
In 1963, Bellmar was a collection of some very good players, but every team has star power.
“Ray Mullen was a super player,” Humphries stated.
“He was probably one of the biggest players we had and he was cut. Defensive-wise, there was nobody meaner and tougher than him, he could just go after you and he was a great player on defense. He was athletically probably the best player we had on the team.”
“The emotional leader and probably one of the stronger players was Mullen,” Muckle said. “He was just so intense and I’ll never forget coming in after Denny Manzini got hurt and I was nervous and we ran a play and Mullen just reached in the huddle and grabbed me and said, ‘Just do your job and we’ll take care of everything else.’ That was him, he just took over.”
Mullen, a rugged 6-1, 190-pound center-linebacker was named Most Valuable Lineman in the Fay-A-Con, garnered All-WPIAL and All-State honors, was named a scholastic All-American by Coach and Athlete magazine and later played three years at Clemson.
Despite an unblemished 10-0 record the ‘Canes missed a shot at the WPIAL Class A championship because of insufficient points in the Gardner Rating System. They finished behind Montour and Freeport, who met for the championship November 16 at Jeannette Stadium. Montour won, 29-12.
“You always wonder what you could have done,” Humphries lamented. “10-0 was an accomplishment that we were all proud of and we all remember.”