Feb. 7, 2017 – Illinois native Dan Bellino was in his second year at the John Marshall Law School when he decided to become a professional umpire. Given the long odds of making it to the major leagues, this would seem to have been a curious career change, especially since he admits that he didn’t know how difficult the process would be. In fact, his original plan was to be a Division I basketball referee as well as an attorney. In spite of the obvious obstacles, he persevered, receiving his law degree, completing umpire school, and passing the bar exam, as well as working at several part-time jobs while umpiring in the minor leagues.

After working eight years in six different minor leagues, as well as the Hawaii Winter League, the Arizona Fall League, and the Puerto Rico Winter League, he beat the odds and was hired as a full-time major-league umpire in 2011, one of only three of 150 in his umpire school class to make it. He was selected to work in Division Series games seven times between 2014 and 2021, the 2016 All-Star Game, and the 2021 World Series.