How many times have you heard athletes tell you or someone else that the lessons and discipline learned from the athletic field paid dividends in later life?
When I interviewed Mr. Scott Belt, well-known local attorney, recently, he mentioned that fact several times during our talk. Discipline, focus and dedication were words Scott used very
frequently in our interview session.
He is a local man, born and raised in Morris, and like so many local Morris and Grundy County residents, he could not wait to get home again. His parents, Delight and Jerry Belt, are well known in this area and have contributed their part in making this area the greatest place in the world to raise a family.
Scott was born in 1962 and is probably known in the sports world as a member of the state final 1979 Morris football team. He played basketball at Shabbona school, starting in fifth grade.
"That was a blast, playing with long time friends Ed Brady and Sheldon Sobol," Belt told me. "Our coach was Russ Battersby and other members of the team were Mike Darin, Jim Farber and Chuch Ader. While playing basketball at Shabbona, we always kid Sheldon Sobol that he is the only person that we know or have seen so far that has actually fouled out in the first quarter, in a game against Yorkville."
That set the stage for a very enjoyable interview with Belt. We really had a good laugh on that one, and I'm sure Sheldon will enjoy reading this article. Several members of the 1979 football team have been life-long friends.
"It started in the two-room school at the former Lincoln school on the city's west side," Belt said. "Before texting, e-mailing, and Facebook, we got out and played baseball or football or made up a game of our own. We got to know the neighborhood kids and hung out with them. It started in first grade in the late 60s and just took off from there."
Attorney Belt, talking about his early days, said "The first chance we got, we signed up for the Grundy County Chiefs football team. I believe the program was fairly new at that time. Our coaches were Clarence Napier, Bob Cook and Melvin Butler. We had our share of success and we learned some good fundamentals and it was a good building block for when we entered high school and started in the schools system. But most of all, we had a lot of fun."
Belt said he played several positions in the early days. "For the most part, I played offensive tackle, I was also the kicker and punter."
While in high school, he played with his brother, Greg Belt. Scott carried on, "One of the teams that gets overlooked is the 1978 team at Morris. We had guys on the team that were seniors such as Andy Peterson, Ray Delong, Steve Lutz and brother Greg Belt, to mention just a few of the players. I was a junior on that team, and that was a year that opened our eyes to a large extent, that we could be a state contender.
During Scott's freshman season, he played on both the freshman team and sophomore squads, going both ways on offense and defense, which he indicated was a great experience for him, preparing him for his junior and senior years at Morris.
"During my junior year, which we had a 6-3 mark, we lost three quarterbacks through injuries," Belt said. "Andy Peterson, Sheldon Sobol and Rob Turk all were injured. It was a fun season, and particularly for my brother Greg and I, since we got a chance to play varsity football together. I will always remember Greg's game at fullback against Kaneland, when he rushed for over 200 yards and rallied Morris to victory, 42-28."
"My senior season was pretty awesome. At that time, Dan Darlington, Denny Steele and Keith Laughary were still very young coaches. Dan told us, 'You guys have what it takes to be a state contender.' That was different at that time to talk about advancing high in the state playoffs. Now there's a bit of expectation yearly for Morris to do well in the playoffs."
Scott said the Batavia game is one game that standouts out in his memory. Belt stepped in front of a screen pass on defense and just about ran it in for a touchdown. A speedy halfback close to the play ran him down and tackled him from behind.
Morris won its first 13 games, only to loss to a very talented Mascoutah team in the state 3A championship game in 1979. In the semi-final game,the Redskins knocked off three-time defending state champion Geneseo Maple Leafs. Most involved with the Morris football feel this game (Geneso) ranks as one of the greatest victories in Redskin history.
Belt, Ed Brady and Sheldon Sobol were captains on the Morris squad. All three captains, along with other members of the team, have been very successful in life. Scott explained, "We've all been pretty lucky. When you talk about sports and developing a work ethic and somewhere along the line, you realize that hard work does pay off."
Once in college at Southern Illinois University, Belt was a double major with Photography and Criminal Justice in his sights. He worked for the Carbondale Police Department and also at the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, working his way through college during the early 80s.
After an intership at the Grundy County Sheriff's Department, Scott was offered a full-time job by Sheriff Jim Olson, which he accepted. While still at Southern Illinois, Belt considered a law career. He worked for the Sheriff's Department from 1985 until going off to law school in 1987. He attended Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich., which would be comparable to John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
Scott even considered a Federal Bureau Investigation career, but settled on the law school instead, finishing in 1990. After taking the Bar exam and passing, he started working in Joliet and eventually came back to Morris and worked for the Peacock Law Firm in 1992. In 1998, Belt started his own law firm and is currently the City of Morris Attorney and also with several other local and area municipalities.
Scott is still actively involved with photography, an interest stimulated by his uncle, Neal Montanus, who had a successful career with Kodak Company in New York. Scott and his lovely wife Cindy just celebrated their 20th anniversary on Sept. 2 of this year. The Belts raised four daughters, Tara and Jessica McTague and Jenna and Monica Belt. Tara is now an attorney in Chicago.
Scott Belt closed our interview with this advice to any youngster willing to listen. "Don"t be afraid to pursue your dreams, because anything is possible." It certainly paid off for one Scott Belt.
A quick recap of this column's NFL predictions segment. Mr. Vance "Keep on Truckin" Vaksdal, this week's guest, and Nick "All Business" Vitido each had 11 correct and five wrong for the week. Tony "The Wonder Boy" Darin, Professor Don Neushwander Jr. and this writer had 10 correct and 5 wrong. No one picked the Bears, but they had a pleasant surprise victory. Packer fans, get ready for the Bears on Monday night.