Who is Bill Belichick?
William Stephen Belichick is a popular American professional football coach and the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He exercises extensive authority over the team’s football operations, effectively making him the Patriots’ general manager as well. Belichick holds many coaching records which include winning a record six Super Bowls as the head coach of the Patriots and two more as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. He is greatly referred to be one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
Bill started his coaching profession in 1975 and became the defensive coordinator for New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells by 1985. Belichick and Parcells received two Super Bowls together before Belichick departed to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1991. He stayed in Cleveland for five seasons, although he was fired after the team’s 1995 season. Belichick reunited with Parcells, first in New England, where the team lost Super Bowl XXXI, and later with the New York Jets.
Following his naming as the head coach of the Jets, Bill resigned after only one day on the job to take the head coaching job for the New England Patriots on January 27, 2000. He has led the Patriots to 17 AFC East division titles, 13 appearances in the AFC Championship Game, and nine Super Bowl appearances, with a record six, wins since then. Totally he has won eight Super Bowl titles and completed as runner-up four times from his combined time as an assistant and head coach.
Bill is the NFL’s longest-timed active head coach and also the first all-time in playoff coaching victories with 31. He is also the third in regular-season coaching wins in the NFL with 289 and one of only three head coaches who have won six NFL titles. Belichick was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year for the 2003, 2007, and 2010 seasons. He is the only active head coach named to the National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
How old is Bill Belichick?
William Stephen Belichick was born on April 16, 1952, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., and is aged 71 as of 2023. He shares his birthday with famous people including Martin Lawrence, Ellen Barkin, Denis Leary, Jon Cryer, Charlie Chaplin · Spike Milligan, Henry Mancini, Benedict XVI, Margrethe II, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among others.
Bill Belichick Family
Who are Bill Belichick’s parents?
William Stephen Belichick was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to Jeannette Munn and Steve Belichick. His paternal grandparents are Ivan Bilicic and Marija (Mary) Barkovic, who emigrated from the Croatian village of Draganic, Karlovac, in 1897 and settled in Monessen, Pennsylvania. Bill was named after his godfather, College Football Hall of Fame Coach Bill Edwards, and is of Croatian ancestry. His father was an assistant football coach at the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis Maryland, where Bill was brought up.
Does Bill Belichick have siblings?
Belichick has not shared or mentioned his siblings. We assume he is the only child born to his parents.
Bill Belichick Education
Belichick studied at Annapolis High School and graduated in 1970. He participated in playing football and lacrosse. Bill then joined Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, to improve his grades for a postgraduate year. He then attended Wesleyan University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1975. There he took part in football, lacrosse, and squash and was the captain of the lacrosse team in his senior season.
Bill Belichick Interests and Hobbies
Belichick was interested in sports from a young age as his father was an assistant football coach. His father inspired him and he studied football with him and was good at breaking down game films at an early age. He then played football and lacrosse in high school and was honored by Phillips Academy after 40 years by inducting him into its Athletics Hall of Honor in 2011. In college, he played football, lacrosse, and squash and was the captain of the lacrosse team. He was finally a part of the inaugural induction class into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame in spring 2008.
Bill loves pets and has an Alaskan Klee Kai dog named Nike.
Bill Belichick Wife
In 1977, Bill married businesswoman Debby Clarke, however, they separated in the summer of 2006. But it was confirmed by the Patriots in July 2005 that they allegedly separated before the 2004 season. They have three children together.
Bill was also linked to a relationship with former Giants receptionist Sharon Shenocca, which assisted in precipitating her divorce. Since 2007, he has been dating Linda Holliday, the Executive Director of the Bill Belichick Foundation.
Bill Belichick Kids
Belichick and his ex-wife Clarke have three children together. His children are one daughter Amanda and two sons, Stephen and Brian. All his children played lacrosse and now are into coaching careers. Amanda is the head women’s lacrosse coach at Holly Cross College in Massachusetts, Stephen is an outside linebackers coach for New England Patriots and Brian is a safeties coach also for the Patriots.
Bill Belichick Height
American professional football coach, Belichick, was a great athlete with amazing playing skills and a well-built and athletic body. He has an impressive height of 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and a weight of 88 kg (195 lbs).
Bill Belichick’s Net Worth
The American professional football coach, Bill has been in football coaching from 1975 to the present. He has led the Patriots from 2000 to date and is among the greatest coaches in NFL history. Bill has an annual salary of $18 million and has gathered an amazing net worth of approximately $60 million as of 2021.
Bill Belichick’s coaching career
Early coaching positions
Following his graduation, Bill took a 425-per-week job as an assistant to Baltimore Colts head coach Ted Marchibroda in 1975. He then joined the Detroit Lions as their assistant special teams coach in 1976, prior to adding tight ends and wide receivers to his coaching duties in 1977. Bill was dismissed along with head coach Tommy Hudspeth and the rest of the coaching staff on January 9, 1978. He then spent the 1978 season with the Denver Broncos as their assistant special teams coach and defensive assistant.
Bill Belichick New York Giants (1979-1990)
In 1979, Bill started a 12-year stint with the New York Giants together with head coach Ray Perkins as a defensive assistant and special teams coach. In 1980, he added linebackers coaching to his duties and was named defensive coordinator in 1985 under head coach Bill Parcells, who had taken the place of Perkins in 1983. The team won Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV after the 1986 and 1990 seasons. Bill’s defensive game plan from the New York Giants’ 20-19 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV was placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bill Belichick Cleveland Browns (1991-1995)
Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995. Within his time in Cleveland, he registered a 36-44 record, leading the team to the playoffs in 1994, his only winning year with the team. Coincidentally the one playoff win was achieved against the New England Patriots, who were coached by former Giant head coach Bill Parcells in the Wild Card Round during that postseason. In his last season, the team finished 5-11, in spite of starting 3-1. He was later fired on February 14, 1996, one week after the shift was announced of the team becoming the Baltimore Ravens.
Bill Belichick New England Patriots (1996)
Following his firing by the Cleveland Browns, Bill worked under Parcells again as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach with the Patriots for the 1996 season. The Patriots completed with an 11-5 record and won the AFC Championship over the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, they lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI amid rumors of Parcells’s impending defection.
Bill Belichick New York Jets (1997-1999)
Bill had two stints as the head coach of the New York Jets without ever coaching any game. He was named the Jets interim head coach in February 1997, after being an assistant coach under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants and New England Patriots. This went on as the Jets and Patriots negotiated compensation to release Parcell from the Patriots and allow him to coach the Jets. After six days, the two teams reached an agreement to allow Parcells to coach the Jets, and Belichick became the team’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
1999
After Parcells stepped down as head coach following the 1999 season, he had already arranged with team management to have Belichick succeed him. But Bill would be the new head coach for one day only, for he turned his hiring to resignation. When he took the podium and gave a 30-minutes speech about why he was resigning to the assembled press corps.
He was later introduced as the new Patriots’ 12th full-time head coach taking the position of the recently fired Pete Carroll. However, the jets and Patriots claimed that he was still under contract to the Jets and claimed compensation from the Patriots. The Patriots then gave the Jets a first-round draft pick in 2000 to trade for the right to hire Belichick after the NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue agreed.
Bill Belichick New England Patriots
After the hiring of Bill, the Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave him near-complete control over the team’s football operations, instantly making him the team’s general manager as well. Bill shared numerous duties normally held by a general manager on other clubs with player personnel director Scott Pioli until 2009 when he had the last say on football matters. The team then went 5-11 in the 2000 regular season and missed the playoffs.
Bill Belichick 2001-2004
The Patriots went 11-5 in the regular season in 2001 and defeated the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers on the way to the Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl XXXVI, the team’s defense held the St. Louis Rams’ offense, which had 31 points in the season to 17 points, and the Patriots won on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. This win was the first Super Bowl championship in Patriots history. In the 2002 season, the first in Gillette Stadium, they went9-7 and missed the playoffs.
Bill Belichick 2003
The Patriots began their 2003 season with a 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, a few days after they released team defensive captain Lawyer Milloy. Luckily they held strong through the remaining season finishing 14-2 setting a new franchise record for wins in a season. The Patriots avenged their loss to the Buffalo Bills by the same 31-0 score in the last week of the regular season. They went on to beat the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round and played against the Indianapolis Colts and Co-MVP Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship. They recorded four interceptions and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVII, where they beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29. Bill was also awarded the NFL Coach of the Year Award.
Bill Belichick 2004
The Patriots again completed with a 14-2 record in 2004 and they defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round. They began the season at 6-0, combining with the 15 straight victories to end the previous season. This gave them 21 consecutive wins to break the record for most wins in a row formerly held by the Miami Dolphins with 18 straight wins in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. The Patriots beat the Steelers in the AFC Championship. They also defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX to become the second team to win three Super Bowls in four years. Bill is the only coach to accomplish the feat as the Dallas Cowboys had two head coaches in the stretch they won three of four from 1992 to 1995.
Bill Belichick 2005-2006 seasons
The Patriots went 10-6in the 2005 season with a new defensive coordinator in Eric Mangini and no named offensive coordinator. They defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round prior to losing to Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. With an early season-opening victory over the Oakland Raiders, Bill reached his 54th win with the team surpassing Mike Holovak as the winningest coach in Patriots history. The team finished with a 12-4 record in the 2006 season and beat the New York Jets by a 37-16 score in the Wild Card Round. They later beat the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round the next week. This was before losing in the AFC Championship to the final winner of the Super Bowl XLI, Indianapolis Colts.
Bill Belichick 2007-2008 seasons
Belichick led the Patriots to the first perfect regular season in 2007, since the introduction of the 16-game regular-season schedule in 1978. They became the fourth team to do so in National Football League history after the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears and 1972 Miami Dolphins. In their 2008 season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, quarterback Tom Brady suffered from a season-ending injury in the first quarter. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel was named the starter for the remaining season, but they broke their own record for regular-season wins in a row after a win in Week 2 with 21 (2006-08). Following their loss of over a dozen players to the injured reserve list including Adalius Thomas, Rodney Harrison, and Laurence Maroney, they still managed their league-leading eighth consecutive season with a winning record, 11-5.
Bill Belichick 2009
Despite the issues in the team they finished 2nd in the AFC East but missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002. They lost on tiebreakers to the Miami Dolphins, who won the division on the fourth tiebreaker. Also to the Baltimore Ravens, who defeated them for the last playoff spot because of a better conference record. The 1985 Denver Broncos are the only other 11-victory team to miss the playoffs in a 16-game season. In 2009 after Tom Brady returned in full health as the starting quarterback, Bill was able to lead the team to yet another AFC East division title victory with a 10-6 record. But the Patriots later lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.
The NFL fined Bill $500,000, the largest fine on any coach, and the Patriots $250,000 after an incident dubbed ”Spygate” occurred on September 9, 2007. The incident occurred when a Patriots video assistant was caught by NFL security. He was taping the New York Jets defensive signals from the sidelines, which is not an approved location. The NFL rules also state that no video recording devices are allowed to be used in the coaches’ booth on the field, or the locker room during the game. However, after the incident and its fallout, Bill guided the team to a perfect 16-0 regular-season record. He was also awarded the 2007 NFL Coach of the Year Award, as voted on by the Associated Press.
Bill Belichick 2010-2012 seasons
Bill and the Patriots finished with a 14-2 record for the top seed in the AFC in the 2010 season. But, their postseason ended quickly with a 28-21 defeat to the New York Jets in the divisional round. They peaked the AFC with a 13-3 record in the 2011 season and won the AFC Championship game. Their win set them to their fifth Super Boel under Bill. In Super Bowl XLVI, they lost in the rematch to the New York Giants by a score of 21-17.
After a 31-30 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on September 26, 2012, Belichick was fined $50,000 for grabbing a replacement official arm while asking for specific clarity. The clarity was for a ruling after Baltimore had narrowly converted a last-second field goal attempt to secure the victory. The Patriots completed the 2012 regular season with a 12-4 record. Eventually, they lost to the Baltimore Ravens by 28-13 in Super Bowl XLVII, ending the season.
Bill Belichick 2013-2015 seasons
The Patriots started the 2013 season with much upheaval on the offensive side of the ball. They began with the injury of Rob Gronkowski, the arrest, and the subsequent release of Aaron Hernandez. As well as the leaving of Wes Welker to the Denver and Danny Woodhead to the San Diego Chargers in free agency, and the release of Brandon Lloyd. The Patriots signed Danny Amendola in free agency, drafted rookies Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce, and also undrafted rookie free agent Kenbrell Thompkins. They concluded the season with a 12-4 record, winning the AFC East. The team also gained a playoff berth and first-round bye, attaining second in the AFC standings.
The 2014 season saw the Patriots start 2-2, and then recorded a 12-4 record for the third straight season. They made it to the divisional round and defeated Baltimore by 35-31, and defeated the Colts by 45-7 in the AFC Championship Game. They made it to the Super Bowl XLIX and defeated the Seahawks by 28-24. Bill tied with Chuck Noll for most Super Bowl victories by a head coach, with his fourth championship. In the 2015 season, the Patriots defeated the Kansa City Chiefs in the divisional round. However, they lost in the AFC Championship Game to the final Super Bowl 50 winner Denver Broncos by 20-18 and recorded a 12-4 record for the fourth straight season.
Bill Belichick 2016-2017 seasons
The Patriots recorded a 14-2 record, earning the No. 1 seed for the AFC playoffs. Thye defeated the Houston Texans in the divisional round and the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots went on to beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI by 34-28 in overtime. The win made it Bill’s fifth Super Bowl title victory as ahead coach. The team went on in the 2017 season with 13-3 to set an NFL record eighth consecutive 12-or-more-win seasons. They captured their ninth consecutive AFC East title and their 15th of the last 17 seasons.
The Patriots won in the divisional round and the AFC Championship Game. Through this, they claimed their second consecutive AFC title and extended their record of consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances with 7. Super Bowl LII was his eight title game as head coach and eleventh overall in any position. As well as the team’s tenth appearance, all extending NFL records. However, they were beaten by the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, 41-33, as Nick Foles led the Eagles with his dominant NFC Championship Game performance in a high-scoring game.
Bill Belichick 2018-2019 seasons
The Patriots in the 2018 season went 11-5, failing to win 12 or more games for the first time since 2009. However, they still got their 10th consecutive AFC East title and their 16th of the last 18 years. They beat the Chargers in the divisional round. In the AFC Championship Game, they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in tough overtime to advance to their third straight Super Bowl. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LII by 13-3. This gave Bill his sixth Super Bowl championship as a head coach. As well as his eighth overall to have the most Super Bowl rings in NFL history.
He then announced on May 13, 2019, that he would take up the role of defensive coordinator in the 2019 season. After the team won against the Browns on October 27, 2019, Belichick got his 300th win in regular and postseason combined as a head coach. The Patriots won their 11th consecutive AFC East title after finishing the 2019 regular season with a 12-4 record. However, they lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans by 20-13.
Bill Belichick 2020-present
Tom Brady then left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Later Bill and the team were faced with an unclear quarterback situation for the first time in almost two decades. They signed Cam Newton for the 2020 NFL season. There then were disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the off-season routines and schedules and the normal processes of the regular season worldwide. However, the Patriots tried to find a playoff spot until late in the season, finishing 7-9. This was Bill’s first losing season since his first year in New England.
The Patriots picked quarterback Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After the preseason Belichick decided to release Cam Newton and name Jones as the starter for the upcoming season.
Bill Belichick Overall record in New England
Under Bill, the Patriots have a regular-season record of 244-92-0 over 21 seasons. He is greatly the most successful coach in Patriots history with 244 wins with the franchise. This is more than quadruple those of runner-up Mike Holovak. Bill has recorded a 30-11 record in the playoffs with New England, and 6-3 in Super Bowls. He has also led the team to 17 division titles, consisting of five consecutive titles from 2003-2007 and 11 consecutive titles from 2009 to 2019. The record of eleven consecutive playoff appearances is the highest in NFL history for any team.