Justin Belotti is an equal-opportunity impact provider. He always has been and, if his track record is any indication, he always will be.
Some people embrace the impact, while others simply try to avoid it. One thing is for certain, the Fighting Sioux defensive back gives it his all in attempting to make sure everyone feels it - one way or another.
Those people trying to avoid Belotti's impact are usually on the gridiron and adorned in different colored jerseys. Plus, it is their responsibility to get out of the way of the relentless, hard-charging frame of Belotti. When Belotti did record a takedown, which happened 18 total times a season ago as a reserve safety, the opposition felt it.
But that impact fades away, as does the satisfaction of delivering a big hit.
However, it is those other places where Belotti's impact is felt that the feelings linger and the connection is that much more rewarding.
Right now, those embracing his impact reside in the Greater Grand Forks community and the benefactors are high schoolers like Deon, who light up every time Belotti shows up for Special Olympics volleyball practice.
The “Wolf Pack”, as Deon dubbed the duo, has a secret handshake and it is on display whenever the two get together. “Deon is a really cool kid and an exceptional athlete,” Belotti said. “I enjoy working with him because I look at him as an athlete just like anyone else. He comes to practice with a smile on his face every time and, as the old cliché goes, 'never takes a play off.' I've learned a lot from him.”
Or even Sugar, the white pit bull at the Greater Circle of Friends Humane Society, who knew she was about to get some undivided attention that she desperately craved when Belotti strolled through the door.
“I had two pits growing up back home and we have one at our house here in Grand Forks, so it was nice to walk with her,” Belotti said. “Pit bulls really do get a bad rap, but I'm a very firm believer that a dogs' demeanor is a direct result of how they were raised. Sugar was obviously not raised in a hostile environment.”
If you are a resident of Greater Grand Forks, then you know all too well the importance of sandbags as spring rolls around. Belotti's impact has been felt in those efforts as well. Belotti's philanthropic ways did not start in Grand Forks.
Back in his high school days in Kenosha, Wis., Belotti was anointed the unofficial community service coordinator for his football team. Whether it was helping the elderly move, collecting money for a Hurricane Katrina fundraiser or working at a soup kitchen, he always had his hands full giving back.
His giving spirit was developed long before. A hard-working family heritage is partly to blame and some of that credit goes to his 91-year-old grandfather. “It is still amazing to see what that man gets done in a day at his age,” Belotti said. “I have looked up to him my whole life and that is one person I do not want to disappoint.”
Belotti was named Mr. Football by Wisconsinpreps.com after his senior season at Mary Bradford High School and that award was not only for his excellence on the football field – 69 tackles as a safety and 49 receptions for 610 yards and 10 touchdowns as a receiver – but also for his aforementioned work in the community.
It would have been easy for Belotti to have left his community service prowess behind in Wisconsin, but after a brief stop at Minnesota State for his first year of collegiate football, he arrived at UND as a walk-on in 2008.
Head coach Chris Mussman had no idea exactly what he would get out of the 5-foot-11, 175-pound transfer who had just walked through the doors at Memorial Stadium for the first time, but he would soon learn. And, just over two years since that day, Belotti has become this team's unofficial community service coordinator and, more importantly, a true team leader.
At the 2010 football awards banquet, Belotti was an easy choice to receive the Markus Bryant Memorial Scholarship, which goes annually to a UND player based upon their teamwork, leadership, dedication, character and spirit.
“If ever a player has embodied what this scholarship is supposed to represent, that player is Justin Belotti,” Mussman said. “He has single-handedly led our team's community service efforts since he arrived on campus. If a sign-up sheet goes up in the locker room, his name is usually the first one on it and he is spearheading the efforts to get the project underway.
“He has come a long way from being a walk-on transfer and paying his own way, to the team leader he is as a senior. He is the type of player that every coach wants to have to represent his team, both on and off the field.”
Belotti was also an easy choice as the team's nominee for the 20th Annual American Football Coaches' Association Good Works Team. The 22-member team is comprised of college football student-athletes, who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. These individuals embody the true spirit of “teamwork” and “giving back” through commendable acts of kindness.
This year's team will be announced in mid-June.
