Belden attended Central Catholic High School, where he was a teammate of future pro football hall of famer Alan Page.
He accepted a scholarship from the University of Notre Dame, where he was the third-string quarterback behind Terry Hanratty and Joe Theismann.
[2] Belden was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the twelfth round (308th overall) of the 1969 NFL draft, even though he never started a game in college.
[3] As a rookie, he was able to make the team after Jerry Rhome was traded to the Cleveland Browns and Don Meredith unexpectedly retired.
[5] At the end of the year, he decided to leave professional football and pursue a career in the private sector.