Bellemore was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he graduated from La Salle Academy in 1959. He later attended Providence College. In 1964 Bellemore, then a sophomore, led the Providence College ice hockey team to its first-ever ECAC championship and first-ever birth into the NCAA final four. Bellemore also starred on the diamond. Appropriately a catcher and third baseman, Bellemore played for four years at Providence College, and served as a captain his senior year. A 1984 inductee into Providence College's Athletic Hall of Fame, Bellemore is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in PC history.
Coaching career
Bellemore's coaching career officially began in 1968, when he was named an assistant coach for the Providence College men's ice hockey team. Bellemore had been a part-time volunteer assistant for the program previously. Bellemore remained an assistant for PC until 1986, when he briefly took the title of Schneider Arena Director. In 1987 Bellemore left Providence College to serve as the goaltending coach for the New Jersey Devils, a position he held until 1991, when he returned to PC to pursue a master's degree in special education. Bellemore also re-joined the PC hockey coaching staff upon his return, this time as the women's goaltending coach, a post he still holds today. In addition to coaching at Providence College, Bellemore helps lead the goaltending segment of USA Hockey Elite training camps in Lake Placid, New York. Bellemore also occasionally provides color-commentary for the PC men when they are televised on Cox Sports Television. After earning his master's degree Bellemore began serving as a special education instructor at South Kingstown High School. He is currently employed as a guidance counselor at South Kingstown High School. In addition to his coaching and career in education, Bellemore is also a baseball umpire in Rhode Island, covering games for the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, the Rhode Island Independent Amateur Baseball League, and other local leagues.
Personal life
Originally a native of Smithfield, Rhode Island, Bellemore now resides in Westerly, Rhode Island with his wife Marguerite. His son Bruce, a 1991 PC graduate, was also an ice hockey player for the Friars. Bellemore and his wife are the grandparents of eleven.
