Bellaire High School is a public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in

Bellaire, Ohio Bellaire is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Belmont County, Ohio, Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area, and Wheeling is across the Ohio ...

, United States. It is the only high school in the Bellaire Local School District. Athletic teams compete as the Bellaire Big Reds in the

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

as a member of the Buckeye 8 Athletic League as well as the

Ohio Valley Athletic Conference The Ohio Valley Athletic Conference is a high school sports league in parts of southeastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. The OVAC is the largest conference of its kind in the United States. Schools in the upper Ohio Valley supply over 18,000 ...

History

The first school in Bellaire was organized in 1876; classes met in the First Ward School Building that also housed a public primary school. The school gained its own building in 1925 at the school's present location. "Bellaire High School, dedicated in 1925, was considered at that time to be the most modern in the Ohio Valley. Since its inception it has included 30 classrooms, a combination auditorium gym, a library, home economics rooms, chemistry and physics labs, typing room, office practice room, music room and offices of the superintendent of schools, the high school principal and guidance counselor." (Excerpt from a Times Leader article from February 1, 1999)

Athletics

Bellaire is a founding member of the

(OVAC), joining the conference in 1943. In 2008, they also founded the Buckeye 8 Conference affiliate of the OVAC.

OVAC 3A Championships

*Baseball - 1970, 1976, 1985, 1988, 1993, 2012, 2015 *Boys Basketball - 1953, 1967, 1978, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 *Girls Basketball - 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2006, 2019 *Cheering - 1992 *Boys Cross Country - 1970, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2015 *Girls Cross Country - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016 *Football - 1946, 1950, 1954, 1964, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2021 *Softball - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2015 *Boys Track - 1950, 1951, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2016, 2017 *Girls Track - 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 *Volleyball - 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 *Wrestling - 1977, 1978

Notable alumni

Mike Basrak Michael J. Basrak (November 23, 1912 – December 18, 1973) was an All-American US collegiate football player in the mid-1930s. Basrak was Duquesne University's first All-American selection, and the Most Valuable Player of the 1937 Orange Bow ...

–

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Mac Cara Dominic "Mac" Anthony Cara (November 11, 1914 – April 16, 1993) was an American football end in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played college football at North Carolina State University and was drafted in the te ...

–

* Nate Davis –

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

Jose Davis Jose Davis (born July 29, 1978) is a former arena football quarterback. Davis attended Kent State University, where he played football. High school years Davis attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Ohio and was a student and a letterman in ...

– Indiana Firebirds (AFL), Colorado Crush (AFL) *

Andy Dorris Andy Dorris (born August 11, 1951) is a retired American professional football player. He was born in Bellaire, Ohio and attended college at New Mexico State University. Dorris played in the National Football League for 10 seasons. He spent mos ...

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St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

Todd Fitch Todd Armstrong Fitch (born February 15, 1964) is an American football coach and former player who is currently an offensive analyst at Ohio State. He has served as an assistant coach at various programs since the mid-1980s. Playing career Fitc ...

— college football coach *

Tod Goodwin Charles R. "Tod" Goodwin (December 5, 1911January 7, 1997) was an American athlete who played football collegiately at West Virginia University. Playing the position of end, Goodwin spent the 1935 and 1936 season playing professional football for ...

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New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

Joey Galloway Joseph Scott Galloway (born November 20, 1971) is an American former professional football player who is an analyst with ESPN. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Galloway was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the ...

–

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, currently an ESPN broadcaster for college football *

Ron Lee (American football) Ron Lee (born September 17, 1953) is a former professional American football player who played running back for four seasons for the Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore fro ...

–

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

Stan Olejniczak Stanley Joseph Olejniczak (May 31, 1912 – March 1979) was an American football tackle who played one season with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and at ...

–

Bull Polisky John "Bull" Polisky (January 15, 1901 – April 23, 1978) was an American football guard who played one season with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He first enrolled at St. Edward's University before transferring to the U ...

–

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Nick Skorich Nicholas Leonard Skorich (June 26, 1921 – October 2, 2004) was an American football player and coach. Skorich played guard at Bellaire High School and the University of Cincinnati before joining the United States Navy in 1943. After the end ...

– player for

, (Head Coach)

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

Lance Mehl Lance Alan Mehl (born February 14, 1958) is a former professional American football player. He played eight seasons for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL), from 1980 to 1987. He was an All-American at Pennsylvania State Univer ...

–

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

* Ben Taylor –

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

Chalmers Tschappat John Chalmers Tschappat, Jr. (June 22, 1896 – February 6, 1958), sometimes listed as John Franklin Tschappat, was an American football player. He played at the tackle position for the Dayton Triangles of the American Professional Football Assoc ...

–

Dayton Triangles The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association (now the National Football League (NFL)) in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangl ...

* Clyde Thomas –

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

British Columbia Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

, only African-American to serve on city council of

Wheeling, WV Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

* John Buddenberg –

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, WLAF

Sacramento Surge The Sacramento Surge was a professional American football team that played in the World League of American Football (WLAF) in 1991 and 1992. The team played its first season at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, and the second season in Hornet Stadiu ...

* Roger Mass –

Wilmington Clippers The Wilmington Clippers were a professional American football team that played from 1937 to 1942, and from 1946 to 1949. They were based in the American Association from 1939 to 1941, later returning for the 1946 to 1949 seasons. They were locat ...

Shag Thomas Shag Thomas (born James Thomas, August 11, 1924 – July 25, 1982) was an American professional wrestler during the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the few African-American wrestlers of his day. Football career Thomas was a 1942 graduate of ...

–

Ohio State football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the ...

, Pro Wrestler

References

External links

Bellaire High School
photos on the Bellaire Public Library website
Bellaire Big Reds FootballBellaire High School Alumni Association
{{authority control High schools in Belmont County, Ohio Public high schools in Ohio 1875 establishments in Ohio