Emory Bellard

College coach infobox


Name = Emory Bellard
| Caption =
DateOfBirth = birth date and age|1927|12|27
Birthplace = flagicon|Texas Luling, Texas
DateOfDeath =
Sport = Football
Title =
OverallRecord = 89–71
BowlRecord = 2–3
Awards =
Championships = 1975 SWC championship
3 Texas state championships (1958, '59, '66)
CFbDWID = 144
Player = Y
Years = 1946-1947
1948-1949
Team = Texas
Southwest Texas State
Position =
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1952-1954
1955-1959
1960-1966
1967-1971
1972-1978
1979-1985
1988-1993
CoachTeams = Ingleside HS
Breckenridge HS
SA Central HS
Texas (OC)
Texas A&M
Mississippi State
Spring Westfield HS
FootballHOF =

Emory Bellard (born December 27, 1927, in Luling, Texas) is a former college football coach. He was head coach at Texas A&M University from 1972 to 1978 and at Mississippi State University from 1979 until 1985.

Bellard is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. He is considered one of the most innovative offensive minds in football and is credited for inventing the Wishbone formation.

Early life

A native of Luling, Texas, Bellard was one of twelve children. His father was a geologist and driller who arrived in Central Texas in the late 1920s to take part in the emerging oil boom.cite book |title=Pigskin Pulpit: A Social History of Texas High School Football Coaches |last=Cashion |first=Ty |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1998 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Austin |isbn=0876111681 |pages=77 ] Bellard graduated from Aransas Pass High School and went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where he played his freshman year under coach Dana X. Bible. Bellard broke his leg during his sophomore season and later transferred to Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University–San Marcos).

Coaching career

High school

Bellard was a high school head coach for 21 seasons where he achieved a record of 177-59-9 and three state titles over 21 seasons. During his time as a high school coach, he explored the idea of running an offense out of a three-back formation.

Bellard began coaching at Ingleside High School, a Class B school in Ingleside, Texas. He guided the school to two consecutive regional wins (as far as Class B football went) in 1953 and '54. He was then hired to succeed Joe Kerbel at Breckenridge High School, then a state powerhouse in the second highest UIL classification. Under coach Kerbel and his predecessor Cooper Robbins Breckenridge won three 3A state championships in 1951, '52 and '54. Bellard continued that winning tradition with state titles in 1958 and '59.

In 1960 Bellard was selected over Gordon Wood to replace Bob Harrell as head coach at Central High School in San Angelo, Texas. San Angelo Central was playing in the highly competitive District 3-4A – nicknamed the “Little SWC” – against perennial state champions like Abilene and Odessa Permian. Bellard amassed a 59-19-2 record at San Angelo Central, winning a 4A state championship in 1966. He then left the high school ranks for the University of Texas at Austin.

In 1988, Bellard returned to the high school level, coaching Spring Westfield High School in Houston, Texas to a 41-22-5 record over 6 seasons.

College

Texas

In 1967 he was hired as the linebackers coach at the University of Texas at Austin and was moved to offensive coordinator in 1968. It was at this time that he developed and implemented the wishbone formation, a system that was inspired by the variations of the Veer developed by Homer Rice and ran by Bill Yeoman at the University of Houston. [ [http://espn.go.com/ncf/bowls01/s/holiday_uthistory.html ESPN.com 'No Place Else But Texas'] ]

Texas A&M

Bellard became head coach at Texas A&M in 1972, taking over head coaching duties from Gene Stallings. In his seven years at Texas A&M, he finished with a record of 48-27 and three top-15 finishes.

Acting as his own offensive coordinator, Bellard hired a couple of former high school football coaches to assist him as backfield coaches, including Gil Bartosh (1973) and Chuck Moser (1974-'78). Both Bartosh and Moser had won Texas state championships. In 1975, however, Bellard hired Tom Wilson away from Jim Carlen's Texas Tech coaching staff to serve as the Aggies' offensive coordinator.

For the defensive department, Bellard hired Melvin Robertson, one of the top defensive coaches, away from Bill Yeoman's coaching staff at the University of Houston. Robertson became defensive coordinator, and among his assistants were R. C. Slocum and Dan LaGrasta.

Bellard's first two seasons at Texas A&M were difficult, as his Aggies finished 3-8 and 5-6, respectively. In 1974, with a pair of his own recruiting classes suited to run the Wishbone formation, the Aggies went 8-3, then followed it up with a couple of 10-2 seasons, including a pair of wins over Royal and the Longhorns and three consecutive bowl games.

After starting the 1978 season 4-0, Bellard resigned midseason after two consecutive losses (0-33 to Houston, 6-24 to Baylor).

Mississippi State

After A&M, Bellard spent seven seasons as head coach Mississippi State University. His best years as the Bulldogs head coach were in 1980 and 1981, when his team finished 9-3 and 8-4, respectively.

Record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Texas A&M Aggies
startyear = 1972
conf = Southwest Conference
endyear = 1978CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1972
name = Texas A&M
overall = 3–8
conference = 2–5
confstanding = T–7^th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1973
name = Texas A&M
overall = 5–6
conference = 3–4
confstanding = 6^th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1974
name = Texas A&M
overall = 8–3
conference = 5–2
confstanding = T–2^nd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = 15
ranking2 = 16CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1975
name = Texas A&M
overall = 10–2
conference = 6–1
confstanding = T–1^st
bowlname = Liberty Bowl
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl =
ranking = 12
ranking2 = 11CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1976
name = Texas A&M
overall = 10–2
conference = 6–2
confstanding = 3^rd
bowlname = Sun Bowl
bowloutcome = W
bcsbowl =
ranking = 8
ranking2 = 7CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1977
name = Texas A&M
overall = 8–4
conference = 4–4
confstanding = 5^th
bowlname = Bluebonnet Bowl
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1978
name = Texas A&M
overall = 4–2*
conference = 1–2*
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Texas A&M
overall = 48–27
confrecord = 27–20*Bellard resigned after 6 gamesCFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Mississippi State Bulldogs
startyear = 1979
conf = Southeastern Conference
endyear = 1985CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1979
name = Mississippi State
overall = 3–8
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1980
name = Mississippi State
overall = 9–3
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = Sun Bowl
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = 19CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1981
name = Mississippi State
overall = 8–4
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname = Hall of Fame Classic
bowloutcome = W
bcsbowl =
ranking = 17
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1982
name = Mississippi State
overall = 5–6
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1983
name = Mississippi State
overall = 3–8
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1984
name = Mississippi State
overall = 4–7
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1985
name = Mississippi State
overall = 5–6
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Mississippi State
overall = 37–42
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 85–69
bcs = no
poll = two
polltype =

References

External links

* [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/misc/where/stories/050905dnspowherenow.8be76d9e.html Emory Bellard's got a bone to pick]
* [http://www.reporternews.com/news/2007/apr/27/no-bones-about-it-bellard-hall-famer/ No 'Bones about it: Bellard a Hall of Famer]