Monday Alumni Update: Greg Bellotti

1/25/2021 2:01:00 PM

By: Evan Shomo

Every Monday, TCNJ Athletics will check in with an alum from one of its programs. Today it's Greg Bellotti, a 1992 graduate of the Trenton State football team.

Bellotti is one of the all-time greats to put on the pads for the Lions. In 2011, he was inducted into the TCNJ Athletics Hall of Fame. A standout at defensive back, Bellotti totaled 132 tackles and 13 interceptions during his career. He was an honorable mention on the Champion All-America team in 1990, and an All-NJAC honoree in 1989, 1990, and 1991.

Bellotti was a key part of the hall of fame 1990 Trenton State football team. The 1990 squad went 10-2, won the NJAC Championship, and won the first NCAA Tournament game in program history.

In a paragraph or two, talk about what you've done since you've left TCNJ:

Since leaving TCNJ, I joined an investment back, and then moved into a career in information technology. Over the last 20 years, I have taken the path less traveled from sales to the CIO. I have had the pleasure to work and meet people like Spike Lee, Michael Jordan, LL Cool J, Jordan Spieth and Oscar Robertson. I have also had the great opportunity to travel the world: Dubai, China, Taiwan, Holland, Germany, Brazil, Singapore, India, Austria, Israel, Cyprus, London, Scotland, Sweden and Denmark to name a few places.
Non-professionally, I have been blessed to remain active with TCNJ, and I have coached my kids in everything. I thoroughly enjoyed building relationships with so many young boys and girls who have grown into incredible young adults. I have learned a great deal coaching youth, it made me a better, more patient person. My wife Lisa, '92, has been with me working, coaching, teaching and enjoying the journey together.
I had the opportunity to be on the Alumni Board for seven years, and be president for two. I sat on the Foundation Board for a year and have rejoined the Beacon Society last year. We have a large football alumni group that I lead, and we strive to create an environment for the old guys to come back and interface with the current players. It is quite a mix, and I love every minute of it.
Since graduating, I have been able to work with the three college presidents: Dr. Eickoff, Dr. Gitenstein, and Dr. Foster. Dr. Eickoff remembers me as a player. Dr. Gitenstein utilized me in many ways on boards and commissions, she really opened my eyes to opportunities to help and remain connected. Dr. Foster is wonderful, and she embraced me stay involved.

What has been your favorite professional experience?

Luckily, there have been many. There are too many to lay out, but I will share that the greatest enjoyment I get at this stage in my career is enjoying success with my team and running a great internship program. Every year I bring in two to three interns, and we spend 10-12 weeks sharing ideas. They want all the answers on how to thrive and become successful, and I want to know what they think about and how they work. It is a wonderful experience, and the kids are great.

Do you stay in contact with any of your old teammates or coaches?

I still talk with many of my coaches (Coach Ham, Coach Myers and Coach Ball) fairly regularly. These men had a heavy hand shaping me and sharpening the tools that have enabled success. With social media, staying connected to my teammates has been easy. Many of us get together often. What is cool now is the dynamic where our kids are the ages we were in college; they want to hear all the stories and confirm some of the "glory days" stories their dads tell.

What is one thing you miss most about playing sports at TCNJ?

The locker room. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed lifting, practicing and meetings- but the locker room was this perfect place where we got to bond before and after every practice and game. If you got lit up in practice or a game, you heard about it. And if you had a great practice or game, the locker room kept you grounded. I loved the hierarchy, alpha-male, and jokester characters that people played. Some days you could be front and center, and others it was enjoyable to just sit back and watch the others.

What about what you miss most about being a student at TCNJ, either academically or socially?

Looking back, I really miss the opportunity of taking an elective and learn obscure subject matter. Most of all, I miss being part of the "student body" for things like walking in on a basketball game, taking a road trip to another school, or just relaxing in the student center. There was always someone around and willing to do something spur of the moment. It also helped that we didn't have cell phones.

What is your favorite memory as a TCNJ athlete either in competition, in practice, traveling or socially?

Taking the ride up to Ithaca to play in TCNJ's first ever NCAA postseason game. They had just won the national championship the year before, and we rode in like who we were. They tried every trick in the book and just beat them into the ground. We got the chance to do something first and have success. We were and remain the only team to win 10 games in a season, and our defense had five shutouts in a row.

Is there anything your coaches said during your playing career that still sticks with you now?

The lessons they demonstrated and drilled into me, which were preparation, being early, playing smart and hard. These lessons have afforded me a life I wouldn't have dreamed of.

What would you say to a student-athlete who is considering attending TCNJ?

If you can balance the academic rigors and wish to compete at a very strong level, TCNJ is a great option. Most importantly, you need to understand that college is not a continuation of high school. You are a puppy coming into the pen with grown people, you must mentally prepare for that and love the sport enough to stick with it.

Do you have any advice for current TCNJ student-athletes?

Enjoy every practice, play, game, and your teams. That sense of being a single unit is unlike anything you'll ever encounter outside of sport. It is special, and I wish I treated it with more reverence.

Anything else, feel free to add now:

You will hopefully get to a point in life where time is more valuable than money. Time with people you love, places you miss, or experiences you want to have. I am so proud to come back to campus, see my classmates and teammates, remain part of the campus community and have the opportunity to give back.

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