The 1981 Bells in the NFL
The 1981 Bellarmine Bells football team was one of the strongest teams in the program's esteemed history. Under the leadership of coach Walt Arnold, the Bells went 12-0, pummeling arch rival St Francis 17-7 in the semifinals on their way to winning their first CCS championship in any sport while ending the season as the number one ranked team in the state. After making history, four of the Bells went on to play in the NFL. Ranging from Super Bowl winners to "scabs", each individual had a unique journey to the National Football League.
David Diaz-Infante:
"I had believed if I worked harder than everybody else, someday I would make it. Denver gave me that chance." - David Diaz-Infante
David Diaz-Infante was at crossroads. He had started on Bellarmine's offensive and defensive lines, was an honorable mention All-America at San Jose State and had worked his way around the NFL landscape since 1987 when he broke in as a replacement player for the San Diego Chargers. After stops in Frankfurt and Sacramento for stints in both the WFL and CFL, Diaz-Infante found himself out of football in 1994. With a social science degree in his backpocket, he knew that he had a fallback plan. Still that old itch lingered.
During this hiatus, he thought of his father, Marco.He had been a unsuccessful revolutionary in Mexico before being exiled to America before he started a family, yet he still yearned for a better Mexico. While he held down a teaching job at UCLA, Marco spent his free time running guns and money to Mexico while requesting help from notable public figures such as John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro.
Although Marco had lost everything by the time his son broke into the NFL, David admired his resilience from afar. He knew that that fighting spirit was perfect for the NFL.
Finally, in 1995, new Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was discussing potential players with one of his scouts and the father of the team's quarterback, Jack Elway, who remembered David Diaz-Infante from his days coaching him at San Jose State as well as the Frankfurt Galaxy.
The Broncos signed him to their practice squad in 1995 and by 1996 David Diaz-Infante had finally cracked an opening day roster in the National Football League.
He spent the year serving as the offensive line's sixth man, filling in for a spell here and there until Mark Schlerith went down just before their trip to Minnesota. At the rige old age of 32, David Diaz-Infante became the oldest player to make his first start in the NFL.
He stayed in Denver through their second straight Super Bowl run in 1998 and played out the remainder of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles (1999) and the Las Vegas Outlaws (2001) before retiring as a Bronco in 2001.
Two decades later, David Diaz-Infante returned to the Bellarmine football program. Having spent years as an offensive assistant for both the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets, he figured that building up his firmer high school program back to respectability would take less time than it ultimately did. In three years as the Bell's coach, his trans went a combined 4-26, including the program's first 0-10 campaign in 2024. When 2025 mercifully ended with another dismal 2-8 record, David Diaz-Infante and Bellarmine's front office mutually parted ways.
Randy Kirk:
Randy Kirk aspired to be an outside linebacker in the NFL. All through high school, De Anza Community College and San Diego State University, he strove to be the very best outside linebacker.
But when he got to the NFL in 1987, something peculiar began to happen. While his coaches with the San Diego Chargers gave him a shot at his dream position, Randy Kirk's one start at outside linebacker in his rookie year convinced his coaches that the 6'2" 232 lbs athlete was better suited for a different position: long snapper.
From then on, Randy Kirk had a job in the NFL. Whether it was in San Diego (1987-1988), Phoenix (1989), Washington D.C. (1990), Cleveland (1991), San Diego again (1991), Cincinnati (1992-1993), Phoenix again (1994-1995) and right back to where it all started, San Francisco (1996-1999), none of his punters were ever blocked.
Erik Howard:
Erik Howard was a man of many moments. He enjoyed an illustrious career at Washington State where his Cougars won the Apple Cup three times and he took home the 1985 Morris Trophy, which is given annually to the best offensive and defensive lineman in the conference. After being taken 46th overall in the 1986 Draft by New York, he backed up a stellar defensive line as his Giants teammates pounded their way to their first Super Bowl.
Emboldened by the experience, Erik Howard continued to work at his craft, slowly earning playing time. By 1990, he was both a starter and a Pro Bowler heading off to Candlestick Park intent on stopping his hometown team from three-peating as Super Bowl champions.
One week later, Erik Howard won his second Super Bowl. He stayed with the Giants through the 1994 season and signed with the Jets in 1995. After two years wearing Gang Green, Erik Howard retired from football. He now spends his days building and developing houses in Texas.
Sal Cesario:
Although he faced the longest odds in making an NFL roster, Sal Cesario never gave up on his dream. After graduating from Cal Poly in 1986, he was taken in thd 12th round by the New York Jets by was cut before the season began.
The following year, the NFL players went in strike and scurrying owners began signing previously released players at a record pace. Cesario wound up with thd Dallas Cowboys where he started all three games during the strike before being released again. After the Dolphins cut the three-time All-WFC offensive tackle in 1988, Sal Cesario's NFL dream came to an abrupt end.
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