Who is Bill Belichick?
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Edwards was also close with Steve Belichick, who played for him at Western Reserve and for the Detroit Lions and later served as an assistant under him at Vanderbilt and North Carolina. Belichick's son Bill was named after Edwards, who was also Bill's godfather. Bill Belichick later became an assistant coach in the NFL and is the head coach of the New England Patriots as of 2022. At what is now known as Case Western Reserve University, the football stadium, DiSanto Field, hosts its distinguished guests inside the "Coach Bill Edwards President's Suite."
Bill Edwards (American football coach)
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William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Belichick has extensive authority over the Patriots' football operations, effectively making him the general manager of the team as well. He holds numerous coaching records, including winning a record five Super Bowls as a head coach, and two more as an assistant coach.
Bill Belichick
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After being named head coach of the Jets in early 2000, Belichick resigned after only one day on the job to accept the head coaching job for the New England Patriots on January 27, 2000. Since then, Belichick has led the Patriots to 16 AFC East division titles, 13 appearances in the AFC Championship Game, and nine Super Bowl appearances. He was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year for the 2003, 2007, and 2010 seasons. His teams won Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, and LI and lost Super Bowls XLII, XLVI, and LII. Belichick's appearance in Super Bowl LII extended his record to eight Bowls as a head coach, as well as being a record eleventh participation in a Super Bowl in any capacity. This also tied him with Neal Dahlen for the most Super Bowl wins in any capacity with seven. In addition, the Patriots' appearance in Super Bowl LIII will be their eleventh, the most of any team.
Bill Belichick
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Belichick began his coaching career in 1975, and by 1985 was the defensive coordinator for New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells. Parcells and Belichick won two Super Bowls together (XXI and XXV) before Belichick left to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1991. He remained in Cleveland for five seasons, and was fired following the team's 1995 season. Belichick then rejoined Parcells, first in New England, where the team lost Super Bowl XXXI, and later with the New York Jets.
Bill Belichick
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Similarly, Belichick paid several visits to former University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer. Meyer considers himself a protégé of Belichick and has tried to emulate Belichick's success at New England. Former Rutgers University head coach Greg Schiano had been an annual visitor to New England Patriots' minicamps prior to becoming the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano has consulted with Belichick on a variety of topics, most notably defense.
Bill Belichick
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In February 1997, Belichick, who had been an assistant coach under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants and New England Patriots, was named the Jets interim head coach while the Jets and Patriots continued to negotiate compensation to release Parcells from his contract with the Patriots and allow Parcells to coach the Jets. Six days later, the Patriots and Jets reached an agreement that allowed Parcells to coach the Jets, and Belichick became the team's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
Bill Belichick
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Belichick is of Croatian ancestry. His father, Steve Belichick (born Stephen Biličić), played for the Detroit Lions and was an assistant coach and scout with the United States Naval Academy football team for 33 years. Bill reportedly learned to break down game films at a young age by watching his father and the Navy staff do their jobs. His paternal grandparents, Ivan Biličić and Marija (Mary) Barković, emigrated from the village of Draganić, Karlovac, Croatia in 1897, settling in Monessen, Pennsylvania.
Bill Belichick
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In 1979, Belichick began a 12-year stint with the New York Giants alongside head coach Ray Perkins as a defensive assistant and special teams coach. He added linebackers coaching to his duties in 1980 and was named defensive coordinator in 1985 under head coach Bill Parcells, who had replaced Perkins in 1983. The Giants won Super Bowls following the 1986 and 1990 seasons. His defensive game plan from the New York Giants' 20–19 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bill Belichick
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Under Belichick, the Patriots have a regular-season record of 225–79–0 over 19 seasons. Belichick is far and away the winningest coach in Patriots history; his 225 wins with the franchise are more than triple those of runner-up Mike Holovak. Belichick also has compiled a 28–10 record in the playoffs with New England, and 5–3 in Super Bowls. He has led the Patriots to fifteen division titles, including five consecutive titles from 2003 to 2007 and ten consecutive titles from 2009 to 2018. Under Belichick, the team only missed the playoffs in 2000 and on tiebreakers in 2002 and 2008.
Bill Belichick
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Belichick was married to Debby Clarke, but they divorced in the summer of 2006. They allegedly separated before the 2004 season, which was disclosed by the Patriots in July 2005. Belichick was also accused of maintaining a relationship with former Giants receptionist Sharon Shenocca, which helped precipitate her divorce. Belichick was seen with Linda Holliday of Jupiter, Florida several times in Arizona during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLII.
Bill Belichick
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In addition, Belichick is a devoted student of the game; during the offseason, he has spent significant amounts of time visiting with other programs to learn from their experiences. For example, he has studied the Navy run offense, sought Bill Walsh (in past years) to understand more about the San Francisco 49ers as an organization and the West Coast offense as a system, and spent time with Jimmy Johnson to learn about drafting and contract negotiations.
Bill Belichick