ADESA Boston exec, Heisman winner Joe Bellino dies at 81

Joe Bellino, an executive at ADESA Boston and the first football player to win college football's top individual honor for the Naval Academy, died March 27 after battling stomach cancer. He was 81.

Bellino was general manager of Concord Auto Auction in Massachusetts from 1977 until 1984, when he left for a job in banking. ADESA bought Concord Auto Auction in 1992, and Bellino joined the company in 2001 as director of national accounts for ADESA Boston, a position he held until he fell ill in February of this year.

Before his career in banking and vehicle wholesale, Bellino was a star halfback at Navy, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1960. He was later enshrined in the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame, according to an obituary in the Boston Globe.

During his first stint with Concord Auto Auction, Bellino hired Tom Caruso, who is now executive vice president and chief client officer of KAR Auction Services, ADESA's parent company.

"Joe was a true patriot, athlete and leader," Caruso said in an emailed statement. "He built several successful careers throughout his lifetime, but more importantly, he fostered a long-lasting legacy of inspiration and mentorship to others. Joe was like a second dad to me and a mentor to many people in the automobile business. He will be missed at ADESA Boston where he was an employee at the time of his death. We send his family our deepest condolences."