Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick is a football coach who served as the head coach of the New England Patriots until 2023. His tenure is marked by a series of significant coaching records, from most playoff coaching wins all-time with 31, to ranking third in regular season coaching wins in the NFL with 302. As a head coach, Belichick has secured eight Super Bowl titles, six of which were with the Patriots. His accumulative knowledge of player positions and his reputation as an American football historian has been considered instrumental to his far-reaching influence in the sport. Under his leadership, the New England Patriots saw 17 AFC East division titles and made 13 appearances in the AFC Championship Game. In 2024, Belichick and the Patriots ended a 24-year association, and he agreed to a five-year head coaching deal with the University of North Carolina.

Belichick's coaching tree, as it's often referred to, originates from his time as an assistant for the Baltimore Colts in 1975. In 1985, he served as the defensive coordinator for New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells, with whom he won two Super Bowls. This partnership at the Giants marked the beginning of his head coaching career, which officially started with the Cleveland Browns in 1991. By the time of his departure from the team in 1995, he had taken the Browns to the playoffs. In 1996, he served as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach with the New England Patriots, aiding the team to reach Super Bowl XXXI. After a brief stint as the New York Jets' head coach in 2000, Belichick took the reins at the New England Patriots. His Patriots' tenure from 2000 to 2023 witnessed a record six Super Bowl wins.

With the Patriots, Belichick also served as the de facto general manager. His dual role saw him named the PFWA Executive of the Year in 2021. Besides his prowess in coaching, Belichick has made significant contributions to the analysis of the game. Following his departure from the Patriots in 2024, he joined ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" as a regular analyst and also made appearances on the "Manningcast," an alternate live broadcast of Monday Night Football, for the 2024 season. He also hosts and co-produces the show "Coach" on YouTube. In 2021, he was awarded a Sports Emmy for his contributions to the NFL 100 All-Time Team series. Belichick's standing in American football is further underlined by his selection to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, making him the only active head coach on the latter team.