(Romeo Crennel was 73 when he served as the Houston Texans’ interim coach in 2020.)īelichick hasn’t been forthcoming about his long-term plans or how much longer he wants to coach. Halas coached the Chicago Bears until he was 72, the oldest to ever lead an NFL team full-time.
I coached 33 years (and) won the most games.” When he finally reflected on his legacy years later in an interview with The New York Times, Shula said: “You’ve got to look at the numbers. Shula coached until he was 66, retiring as a new ownership group - with its eyes fixed on Jimmy Johnson - sought to bring changes to his staff. That last part hinted at the last unchecked box for Belichick. “I’ll be able to talk about that when it’s over,” Belichick said then. But how long will it take? What will happen if the team’s recent downturn - after such lofty success - continues and the quest becomes a several-year venture? Do the goodwill he has built with ownership and the team’s die-hard fan base mean Belichick has an unlimited runway to chase the record even if losing becomes the norm?Īfter Belichick passed George Halas in October to move into second place in all-time NFL coaching wins, he deferred discussion of his legacy for another time. It seems like a foregone conclusion that Belichick will get to the record. Belichick’s 329 all-time wins are 19 shy of surpassing Don Shula’s NFL record of 347, a mark that includes playoff victories. There’s the goal of a seventh Super Bowl win, which would give New England more than any other franchise.īut among the reasons for continuing to coach, his former employees said, perhaps most significant is that Belichick wants to become the NFL’s all-time leader in career wins by a head coach.
There’s a passion for teaching and coaching that hasn’t subsided. There’s still a desire to prove he can win without Tom Brady. Interviews about Belichick with three people who used to work for him, all of whom were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely, paint a portrait of a man still highly motivated to succeed as he prepares for his 24th season at the Patriots’ helm. And there’s one more record he doesn’t hold.īB at work. The most important things to him are history and legacy. So why, with his 71st birthday a few weeks away and a 25-25 record over the last three seasons, does Belichick still want to do it? Why does he continue with this exacting, pressure-packed job even though he is already considered by most to be the NFL’s greatest coach ever?
BILL BELICHICK PAST TEAMS COACHED PLUS
He has already accomplished just about everything one can in this game: six Super Bowls as a head coach, plus two more as an assistant. He watches games from the 1970s and ’80s during downtime and shows highlights from those days to current players.Īnd in recent years, the 70-year-old has started to think about his own place in NFL history. He knows the league’s history and appreciates it as much as anyone. Belichick called him “the greatest player that ever played.”īelichick is a football lifer who has spent 48 years in the NFL. But Belichick wanted to make sure his players didn’t leave Cleveland without some comprehension of Brown’s legacy.
BILL BELICHICK PAST TEAMS COACHED PROFESSIONAL
Teams in professional sports almost never make pitstops on their exits from away games.
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