Robert “Bob” Belden came to Notre Dame in 1966 after being “the man” at Central Catholic in Canton, Ohio. He had the résumé of a real quarterback prospect, but South Bend was a different world. Terry Hanratty was already ahead of him, leading Ara Parseghian’s Irish and later becoming a Super Bowl-winning QB. Then came Joe Theismann, another future star who would go on to finish second in the Heisman race and win a Super Bowl himself.  So Belden’s Notre Dame story became one of bad timing as much as anything else. But he did not know what the Cowboys had in store for him later on. 

He was stuck behind two major names, and injuries in spring practice in 1967 and 1968 only made it harder to fight his way up the depth chart. By the end, he had thrown just 14 passes in college, completing eight of them for 137 yards while also rushing for 163 yards. Still, he left Notre Dame with more than a football footnote. He earned a B.S. in Mathematics in 1969 and had been part of the Irish’s 1966 national championship team. Yet the Cowboys still saw enough to draft him in the 12th round that same year.

Bob spent the 1969 and 1970 seasons with Dallas, years in which the Cowboys went 11-2-1 and then 10-4, reaching Super Bowl V before falling to the Colts. But Belden never truly got a clear lane there either. Dallas waived him in September 1970 before bringing him back to the taxi squad, leaving him once again close to the action but outside the main picture. By the end of that year, he chose to step away from professional football and build a life outside the game…. A life his obituary would later remember with far more warmth than any stat line he ever had. 

His obituary defined him as “a patient, steady, generous, and tremendously loving husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother. Bob’s many family members, along with his friends, were the beneficiaries of his prodigious intelligence, his sports acumen, his quick wit, and his unfailing support. He will be forever loved and missed.”

Belden died on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Canton. He was 78. His obituary did not mention a cause of death, but it remembered him mostly through the family and friends he left behind. 

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Kathleen Keniray Belden, their four children: Christine, Robert, James, and Julia, and 14 grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Richard Belden Jr., Julia Belden, Ann Belden, Mark Belden, and Phillip Belden. A Memorial Mass was held for him on May 21 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Canton.

Before all of that, though, there was still the football part of Belden’s life, one that many are revisiting now. 

Bob Belden’s short road from Notre Dame to Dallas

Belden’s football story stood out long before he ever reached the professional level. A standout quarterback at Central Catholic High School in Canton, Ohio, Belden was viewed by many around the program as a prototypical pro-style passer. Former teammate Jack Rose told The Repository that the late QB was “ahead of his time.” He praised Belden’s ability to make every throw in the book.

At Notre Dame, he played under legendary head coach Ara Parseghian, a coach Belden later described as “an exceptional human being” and “a great football coach.” But with Hanratty and Theismann blocking his way on the depth chart, Belden had to sit back. He later admitted that playing behind names like Hanratty, Theismann, Roger Staubach, and Craig Morton taught him a simple lesson: “you can always improve and that each of us has certain strengths and weaknesses.”

A math major from a well-established Canton family, Belden did not expect the NFL to be waiting for him. The draft itself came quietly. In a 2010 interview, he said, “I was in school and read about being drafted in the newspaper. 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.” That surprise made sense. He had passed for fewer than 200 yards in college, yet Dallas still used the 308th overall pick on him.

Ironically, Belden’s arrival in Dallas brought another difficult twist. The same year the Cowboys drafted him, future Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach returned from his Navy commitment to join the team. For the second time in his life, Belden was walking into an already crowded quarterback room, this time with Staubach and Craig Morton ahead of him.

But Belden still managed to leave a mark.

“He showed everybody right away that he could throw the heck out of the ball, and he was very smart,” Staubach told The Repository. “People thought he could be a starting NFL quarterback.”

Belden was part of the first Dallas Cowboys team to reach the Super Bowl, getting there before Theismann and Hanratty would make their own Super Bowl runs. But his time in football ended soon after, and the next part of his life became much larger than the brief NFL chapter.

Robert Belden’s Unlikely Football Journey and Life Afterwards Left A Lasting Impact