When Dr. Mark Bellinger started the Fox Chapel (FC) Crew Club in the spring of 1995, it’s hard to know if he could have predicted the success and longevity that lay ahead. But, nearly 27 years later, the club is still thriving – growing from 13 participants that first year to more than 50 student-athletes today.
Dr. Bellinger, a pediatric urologist by day, and a head crew coach on evenings and weekends, passed away February 9 amid a battle with cancer. He was 73.
He first got into coaching the sport when his daughter, Katie (Bellinger) Battilana, became interested in rowing. Although Fox Chapel Area High School had a crew team some years before, interest waned, and the club no longer existed. According to a video celebrating FC Crew’s 25th anniversary, when Katie was a high school freshman, she and her dad had a conversation about local crew teams. Katie says, “I simply said, ‘That would be fun.’” That was all she needed to say to inspire her dad to start FC Crew. In a tongue-and-cheek nod to his daughter, coach Bellinger even named the club’s first boat “Katie’s Fault.”
According to FC Crew Club women’s head coach Katie (McCarthy) Mamatas (Fox Chapel Area High School Class of 2008), it’s hard to put into words what coach Bellinger meant to FC Crew. She confidently says that he was a man who “did everything.”
“The only reason FC Crew exists is because of Mark. He has been the backbone of the program,” Katie Mamatas says. “He was at every practice, every race, and he did everything the group needed to succeed and thrive.”
Katie Mamatas says coach Bellinger was inclusive, wanting everyone to feel as though they had something to contribute to the team.
“No matter who showed up on FC Crew’s door, he welcomed them and did whatever he could to make sure they succeeded and felt like they were part of the team.”
In addition to his daughter Katie, Dr. Bellinger is survived by his wife, Catherine, and three other children, Deb (Bellinger) Morgan, Mike, and Todd.
About FC Crew
FC Crew includes students from both Fox Chapel Area High School and Dorseyville Middle School. More recently, Dr. Bellinger was instrumental in establishing the new, year-round training center for FC Crew, including an indoor facility and docks, at Aspinwall Riverfront Park.
Please click here to read a story about FC Crew’s 25th anniversary (celebrated in 2020) that appeared in the Tribune-Review.