June 19, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Bill Bellamy, a star of film, television and comedy, visited Samford recently and played basketball with several Bulldog student-athletes.

Bellamy was in town performing at The Comedy Club Stardome when he decided to pay a visit to the Homewood school.

"Every city I go to I try and get a game or two of basketball in to relieve some of the stress on the road before performing," Bellamy said.

Members of Samford's football and men's and women's basketball teams played games of basketball with Bellamy in Samford's Seibert Hall.

"This was a dream for me to be on the same basketball court with a celebrity like Bill Bellamy," Monica Maxwell from the Samford women's basketball team said. "It was very nice of him to take time out of his busy schedule to come by and spend time with us. I will never forget this opportunity."

Bellamy has appeared in many films including Any Given Sunday in a cast that included Al Pacino, James Woods, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx and Dennis Quaid. Bellamy has also appeared in The Brothers, Love Stinks and many other motion pictures.

In addition to his film credits, Bellamy appeared in television series Fastlane and Men, Women and Dogs. Bellamy also hosted MTV JAMZ, Malibu MOJO and the Diversity Awards.

As a comedian, Bellamy made his national television debut as a featured guest on Showtime and the Apollo. He then signed on as a guest star on HBO's Def Comedy Jam.

Bellamy has served as a spokesman for both AT&T and Pepsi. In 1998, he appeared opposite NBA star Shaquille O'Neal in a national Reebok television commercial campaign.