He is known as a hard-hitting and tough old-fashioned full back and these attributes along with his quiet demeanor and reluctance to talk to the media has resulted in him having a cult following among Armagh and Crossmaglen fans.
He features in 24 reasons "Why GAA is better than soccer" under #6: John Terry would run a mile if he came up against Francie Bellew.
[citation needed] In 2003 Armagh once again reached the All-Ireland final, but were defeated by neighbours Tyrone.
[8] Bellew is part of the Crossmaglen team that has won 13 Armagh Senior Football Championships in a row between 1996 and 2008.
[9] This equals the national record for consecutive county football championships set by Ballina Stephenites of Mayo between 1904 and 1916.