Who Is Ron Bellamy? Getting To Know Michigan's New WRs Coach
The hiring of new wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy wrapped up the Michigan Wolverines football's offensive staff changes, with the former U-M player coming to Ann Arbor from nearby West Bloomfield in Detroit.
Bellamy played wide receiver for Michigan from 1999-02, finishing his career with 67 receptions, 888 yards and nine touchdowns, while starting 25 of the 36 games he appeared in during his final three years on campus.
Bellamy then went undrafted in the 2003 NFL Draft and attempted to land with a pro club several times from 2003-08, appearing on practice squads with the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions during that span.
He decided to hang up his playing career in 2009, however, and was named the head coach at West Bloomfield in January of 2010. Bellamy would go on to spend the next 11 seasons there, having a rough go of it at first before turning the Lakers into an outstanding program.
It's important to note the mediocre state West Bloomfield was in prior to Bellamy's arrival, with the Lakers having gone a combined 16-12 from 2007-09. Additionally, the school had not finished more than two games over .500 since 1993 prior to Bellamy's tenure.
The first three years of his time there were difficult, with the Lakers enduring losing campaigns in each of the three seasons from 2010-12. They then went 5-4 in 2013, and never finished .500 or below again under Bellamy.
The 2014 season served as another milestone for West Bloomfield, with the club going 9-2 and making the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and just the second time this century.
The Lakers made the postseason in each of Bellamy's final seven seasons on the job from 2014-20, culminating with the school's first-ever state championship this past season.
It took down Davison, 41-0, in the state title game at Ford Field Jan. 23, with Michigan running back signee Donovan Edwards compiling 257 yards and three touchdowns. From 2014-20, West Bloomfield lost two or fewer games on three separate occasions, highlighted by a 9-1 season in 2015 and this past year's 11-1 campaign.
Deep postseason runs had oftentimes eluded Bellamy's squads prior to 2020 though, with the program only making it to the state semifinals once during his tenure (lost in the state title game to Clarkston in 2017).
Bellamy took the program to heights it had never been before, turning it into a powerhouse this year as the Lakers outscored their opponents by an absurd margin of 476-96.
West Bloomfield also produced some exceptional players under Bellamy's tutelage, especially in recent years. Five four-star players have signed with FBS colleges since 2016 alone, in Edwards (Michigan in 2021), linebacker Cornell Wheeler (Michigan in 2020), safety Makari Paige (Michigan in 2020), linebacker Lance Dixon (Penn State in 2019) and wide receiver Trishton Jackson (Michigan State in 2016).
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