Waite Bellamy is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Florida A&M Rattlers and was a draft selection of the St. Louis Hawks in the 1963 NBA draft. Bellamy spent his entire professional career with the Wilmington / Delaware Blue Bombers of the Eastern Professional Basketball League where he won two championships. He was named as the league's Most Valuable Player in 1970. Bellamy worked as a teacher and basketball coach at high schools in Florida after his playing retirement.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bradenton, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lincoln (Palmetto, Florida) |
| College | Florida A&M (1959–1963) |
| NBA draft | 1963 / Round: 4 / Pick: 33rd overall |
| Selected by the St. Louis Hawks | |
| Playing career | 1963–1971 |
| Position | Guard |
| Career history | |
| 1963–1971 | Wilmington / Delaware Blue Bombers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Bellamy attended Lincoln High School in Palmetto, Florida.[1] He averaged 25 points as a senior while his team finished the season with a 30–5 record and advanced to the state tournament.[1] Bellamy also served as captain of the football team and president of the school's student body.[1] He graduated in 1959.[1]
Bellamy did not receive any scholarships from major Southern colleges as they did not offer them to black players at the time.[1] He went to Florida A&M University where the coaches game him an offer of playing for the Rattlers in either football or basketball: he chose the latter.[2] Bellamy tallied 1,600 points and was a three-time All-SIAC selection from 1961 to 1963.[3] He set the Rattlers' single-game scoring record when he totalled 53 points against the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats.[3]
Bellamy was inducted into the Florida A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987.[4] His number 25 jersey was retired by the Rattlers and hangs in the Al Lawson Center.[3]
Bellamy was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the 4th round of the 1963 NBA draft but did not make the team.[1] He instead joined the Wilmington Blue Bombers of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) where he played for eight years.[1] Bellamy was awarded as the EPBL Most Valuable Player in 1970 and earned three selections to the All-EPBL team.[5] He won two championships withe Blue Bombers in 1966 and 1967.[2] He led the league in scoring during the 1969–70 season with 838 points per game.[6] Bellamy earned invitations to NBA training camps with the Philadelphia 76ers, Baltimore Bullets and New York Knicks during his EPBL career.[1]
Bellamy worked as a teacher and basketball coach in the Sarasota County school system for three decades.[2][3]
Bellamy was inducted in the National Negro High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches Court of Legends in 2016.[2][1]