| André Bellon | |
| Fullname: | André Bellon |
| Birth Place: | Lyon, France |
| Position: | Defender |
| Years1: | ?–1916 |
| Years2: | 1916–1918 |
André Bellon was a French footballer who played as a defender for FC Lyon in the mid-1910s.[1] He is best known for playing in the first-ever Coupe de France final in 1918, which Lyon lost.[1]
André Bellon was born in France to Philippe André Auguste Bellon (1849–1918), a native of Molines-en-Queyras, and Elisabeth Anne Marie Berge.[2] He had an older brother who was dead at birth in 1884,[3] while André was born either in the late 1880s or early 1890s. A relative of his, Louis Bellon (1908–1998), was an artist who went on to became a member of the (Salon of the South-East), one of the most prestigious arts organizations of Lyon where many important contemporary artists exhibited.[4]
Very little is known about his life; Bellon was playing football for the Lyon-based CS Terreaux (founded in 1911) in the 1915–16 Coupe des Alliés, playing a fundamental role in helping the team win five games on its way to the final, including a 4–2 win over Olympique de Marseille in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the final, the French newspaper L'Auto described Bellon as "the best center-half that we have ever seen in Lyon, with remarkable dribbling, knows how to take advantage of all the opponent's mistakes, and an impeccable and far-sighted game distributor".[5] The final ended in a 1–7 loss to Stade Rennais, with L'Auto stating that Terreaux's best players were the David brothers and André Bellon.[6] In the following season, Bellon moved to another team from Lyon, FC Lyon, and also helped them reach the final of the Coupe des Alliés in 1916–17, and even though it ended in a 4–1 loss to CASG Paris, L'Auto highlighted the defensive performances of Bellon and Mortier.[7]
In the following season, in the second round replay of the 1917–18 Coupe de France against AS Lyonnaise on 18 November, Bellon scored an equalizer in terrible weather conditions to force another replay played a week later in which Lyon won 5–0.[8] In the quarterfinals, Lyon faced Stade Rennais on neutral ground in Paris on 3 February 1918, and he once again netted an equalizer in the second half in an eventual 2–1 win.[8] He thus contributed decisively in helping his side reach the 1918 Coupe de France final, the competition's first-ever final, which they lost 0–3 to Olympique Pantin.[9] [10] [11]