Bill Belichick to North Carolina is something we've only seen once before in NFL and college football history
Bill Belichick is going back to coaching, but not in a role anybody saw coming. Per Inside Carolina, Belichick is finalizing a deal to become the head coach at North Carolina. Ollie Connolly of The Read Optional and The Guardian was the first to report on Tuesday that Belichick had agreed to become the Tar […]
Bill Belichick is going back to coaching, but not in a role anybody saw coming.
Per Inside Carolina, Belichick is finalizing a deal to become the head coach at North Carolina. Ollie Connolly of The Read Optional and The Guardian was the first to report on Tuesday that Belichick had agreed to become the Tar Heels' next head coach.
It is the eight-time Super Bowl champion's first foray into college coaching, marking a seismic move in the world of college football.
But, in terms of a Super Bowl-winning head coach taking the same position in the college ranks, it is not an unprecedented move.
Indeed, Belichick is following in the footsteps of the man many considered the greatest coach of all time prior to his storied run with the New England Patriots.
The only other Super Bowl-winning head coach to take that job at the collegiate level is Bill Walsh.
Walsh, the father of the West Coast offense who oversaw the San Francisco 49ers' dominance in the 1980s, took the head coaching job at Stanford in 1992 having won three Super Bowls with the Niners, his last coming in his final season with San Francisco in 1988.
Initially, Walsh enjoyed great success with the Cardinal, posting a 10-3 record in 1992 as Stanford won the Pac-10 title. However, Stanford went 4-7 in 1993 and 3-7-1 in Walsh's final season in 1994.
It is a reflection of Belichick's incredible longevity in coaching that he is replicating Walsh, a coach he went against in the 80s during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
But Belichick will obviously have designs on a much longer and more successful tenure than his former adversary experienced, and he will likely believe sustained success is possible in an ACC won by a 10-3 Clemson team in 2024.
A move to college might not have worked out for the legendary Walsh, widely viewed as the greatest offensive coach of all time. But, even after a dismal end to Belichick's incredible spell as Patriots head coach, it would be foolish to bet against the man regarded as both the finest defensive mind and overall head coach in NFL history turning around the Tar Heels in a hurry.
Bill Belichick officially takes the next step in his football coaching career and it’s not one many people saw coming
A big change for Bill Belichick as his next stop if official
