Bill Belichick is becoming a college football coach for the first time. It’s really happening.
North Carolina officially pulled off the stunning move on Wednesday night when it announced Belichick’s hiring to replace Mack Brown as the next Tar Heels’ next football coach. This means the coach with a record six Super Bowls, who sits just 14 wins away from breaking Don Shula’s NFL record for all-time wins, will be roaming the sidelines in the ACC next fall, trying to guide North Carolina through a new era of college football that increasingly operates like the professional level Belichick is coming from.
North Carolina formally introduced Belichick at a Thursday afternoon news conference in which he explained that he always wanted to be a college football coach and called returning to the Tar Heels as a ‘dream come true.’
‘We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking. Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win – today and in the future,’ UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement.
The football world is still buzzing over this decision and the reaction has been polarizing, with NFL and college football analysts weighing in on how and if Belichick, 72, can successfully transition from the professional ranks to college. Here are highlights from everything that happened between Belichick and North Carolina leading up to and during Thursday’s press conference:
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Bill Belichick press conference is over
After 45 minutes, Bill Belichick is done answering questions from reporters. Given his track record with press conferences in the NFL, it could be his longest session with reporters for awhile. But he offered plenty of highlights to sift through on Thursday now that he’s getting started at UNC.
Bill Belichick denies he had 400-page plan for UNC
Belichick was asked about a report on social media that he presented North Carolina officials with a 400-page ‘organizational bible’ as part of the job interview process. ‘Don’t believe everything you read in the papers,’ Belichick said. Instead, he noted how the rule changes in college football in recent years got him more invested in college football than he expected.
‘College came to me this year. I didn’t go seek it out,’ Belichick said. ‘Probably a dozen coaches asked to talk with me about certain things, like a salary cap, headsets, two-minute warning, sideline tablets.’
Bill Belichick won’t make predictions
Bill Belichick has been asked several different questions about what expectations should be for him at North Carolina. The latest version elicited the most descriptive response, with Belichick harkening back to the Tar Heels’ defenses in the early 1980s that produced Lawrence Taylor when he was an assistant coach with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells. It almost sounded like he wanted to replicate that.
“I believe we’re going to run a good program and have a good team. We’ll see where that all goes,’ Belichick said. ‘I’m not making any predictions. I’m just saying I’m coming in to do the best I can.”
Bill Belichick lays out UNC recruiting vision
Belichick said, ‘I feel like doing it a long time,’ when asked about any sort of plan for how long he wants to continue coaching. He then started to lay out a recruiting vision that he emphasized also ‘belongs to (General Manager Michael Lombardi) and his recruiting staff.’ Belichick noted there would be a scouting department involved, with a traditional GM-coach hierarchy that will be similar but ‘not identical’ to the NFL. There’s been on emphasis on Belichick’s ‘pro program.’
Belichick said part of his interest in college football stems from this year off he took from coaching. He visited often with Washington, where his son is currently the defensive coordinator. Belichick said he wants to recruit well in-state and the surrounding areas, but he views North Carolina as a national university. ‘We’ll recruit any kid to come here. … I think we’ll be able to recruit nationally.’
Bill Belichick: ‘I didn’t come here to leave’
Belichick was emphatic when asked by a reporter if he might go back to the NFL in a year or two should he enjoy success quickly at North Carolina. Belichick, who had otherwise been expansive answering questions, transformed into the version fans grew accustomed to during New England Patriots news conferences.
‘I didn’t come here to leave,’ Belichick said, and the Tar Heel fans in the room applauded and cheered.
Bill Belichick asked why he’s still coaching
Belichick explained why, at 72 years old, he wants to keep coaching, and coaching at a level he’s never worked before, with a joke.
‘It beats working,’ Belichick cracked.
‘I love what I do. I love coaching,’ he added, noting how much he enjoys being around a team.
Bill Belichick: ‘This is a dream come true.’
Bill Belichick has officially been introduced as the new North Carolina football coach by university chancellor Lee H. Roberts and athletic director Bubba Cunningham. Roberts presented Belichick with a custom sweatshirt with cut-off sleeves, then Cunningham put on a blazer with the sleeves cut off.
Belichick responded in kind to them, pulling out a North Carolina sweater his father wore when he was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels. Belichick noted he ‘always wanted to coach in college football and it just never really worked out. I had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. But this is really kind of a dream come true.’
Perhaps it was destined for him to return to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Belichick said he was always told, ‘Billy’s first words were ‘Beat Duke.’ … So, full circle.’
Bill Belichick has arrived for UNC press conference
We’ll hear from Bill Belichick shortly at his introductory press conference, but he is on campus at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Check back here for the best quotes and highlights as Belichick breaks down his decision to become North Carolina’s football coach.
Bill Belichick’s son: ‘That’s what he should be doing.’
Brian Belichick, who’s currently the safeties coach for the New England Patriots, spoke to reporters at a regularly scheduled media availability Thursday. After he got a laugh attempting to discuss the Patriots’ upcoming game against the Arizona Cardinals, Belichick’s younger son offered a hint into the Belichick family’s reaction to Bill Belichick’s decision to become North Carolina’s football coach.
‘I’m really happy for my dad. I think a lot of people were excited, including him, and it’s going to be fun to watch,’ Brian Belichick said. ‘He loves coaching football. That’s what he should be doing.’
Deion Sanders weighs in on Bill Belichick hiring at UNC
Bill Belichick might be the most unorthodox college football coaching hire since Deion Sanders went from high school to Jackson State to Colorado. So Belichick’s hiring at North Carolina got the social media version of a thumbs up on Thursday from Coach Prime, whose template produced a 9-3 season in year two with the Buffaloes this season.
UNC Board of Trustees approves Bill Belichick contract
The partnership between Bill Belichick and North Carolina football cleared one more hurdle Thursday morning when the university’s Board of Trustees approved Belichick’s contract at an emergency meeting attended by multiple reporters in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was considered a formality after Wednesday’s announcement, but approval was nonetheless needed to move forward.
The details of the deal beyond the $50 million over five seasons North Carolina will reportedly pay Belichick are especially intriguing after the two sides spent the past couple days negotiating over NIL money and staffing.
Bill Belichick press conference announced
North Carolina announced that it will hold an introductory news conference for Belichick on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.
Belichick spoke in general terms about running a college football program during an appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Monday, but he has otherwise not talked extensively about his interest and plans for the North Carolina job.
‘I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times,’ Belichick said in a statement Wednesday. ‘I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill.’
Michael Lombardi joining Bill Belichick as UNC GM
A familiar face will be reuniting with Belichick with North Carolina football. Michael Lombardi, a former NFL general manager who worked with Belichick in New England, announced he is leaving his job as a media analyst at VSiN to become North Carolina’s general manager.
Bill Belichick contract
Financial details were not revealed by the school, but UNC said in its press release Wednesday night that Belichick had agreed to a five-year deal ‘pending approval by the University’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors.’
How many Super Bowls does Bill Belichick have?
Bill Belichick won an NFL-record six Super Bowls over 24 seasons as the New England Patriots coach, including two different stretches during which he won the Super Bowl three times in four years. Belichick made nine Super Bowl appearances overall with the Patriots.
Super Bowl 36 (Feb. 3, 2002): Beat St. Louis Rams, 20-17
Super Bowl 38 (Feb. 1, 2004): Beat Carolina Panthers, 32-29
Super Bowl 39 (Feb. 6, 2005): Beat Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21
Super Bowl 42 (Feb. 3, 2008): Lost to New York Giants, 17-14
Super Bowl 46 (Feb. 5, 2012): Lost to New York Giants, 21-17
Super Bowl 49 (Feb. 1, 2015): Beat Seattle Seahawks, 28-24
Super Bowl 51 (Feb. 5, 2017): Beat Atlanta Falcons, 34-28
Super Bowl 52 (Feb. 4, 2018): Lost to Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33
Super Bowl 53 (Feb. 3, 2019): Beat Los Angeles Rams, 13-3
Bill Belichick coaching record
Belichick began his head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns in 1991 after rising up the ranks as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants under former coach Bill Parcells. Belichick was fired by the Browns in 1995 and rejoined Parcells as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots and New York Jets. He was briefly named the Jets’ head coach ahead of the 2000 season but resigned from the job at what was supposed to be his introductory news conference and soon became the Patriots’ head coach through the 2023 season.
Here’s a look at Belichick’s record as an NFL coach:
29 seasons (24 with Patriots, 5 with Browns)
333-178 career record (including playoffs)
9 Super Bowl appearances (all with Patriots)
6 Super Bowl championships
19 playoff appearances
Bill Belichick age
Bill Belichick is 72 years old. He will turn 73 on April 16 and will be the oldest Football Bowl Subdivision head coach in the country when the 2025 college football season begins. Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is the second-oldest coach in the country at 69 years old.
Where did Bill Belichick go to college?
Belichick graduated in 1973 from Wesleyan College in Middletown, Connecticut, where he played tight end and offensive line for the football team. He also lettered in squash and lacrosse as a college athlete. He was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Wesleyan College athletics hall of fame.