A highly decorated coach in the NFL, Bill Belichick is a name that not only the New England Patriots respect but also everyone associated with the game of gridiron football. From players to staff to fellow coaches, analysts, and even fans themselves, Belichick’s impressive body of work over his four-decade-long career has put him in a league of his own.
Born in 1952 in the city of Nashville, Tennessee, the 71-year-old’s passion is still unwavering. Born as William Stephen Belichick, the long-serving Patriots’ head coach is known to be a historian of the game. He has immense in-depth knowledge of every position on the field and can get into lengthy explanations if asked the correct type of questions. A prime example of this is when asked about a long snapper by a media member, Belichick went full out with a detailed response holding nothing back.
Bill Belichick's Coaching Career
Belichick is regarded as one of the best coaches the NFL has witnessed in the history of the league and will probably go down as the best to ever do it. His coaching career in the NFL started in 1975 as a special assistant with the then Baltimore Colts. Gaining substantial experience and building up his resume, Belichick would go on to take various coaching jobs over the years including assistant special teams, receivers coach, special teams and defensive assistant, and linebackers coach with numerous teams such as the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and the New York Giants.
His first major coaching job came in 1985 as he was handed over the reins of the Defensive coordinator by the Giants. He remained in that position for the next six years before joining the Cleveland Browns in 1991 as their head coach. He held this role till 1995 after which he went to the Patriots in 1996 to work under Bill Parcels. In the year 2000, Belichick earned his second head coach job, this time with the Patriots and as they say, the rest is history.
Did Bill Belichick win a Super Bowl with the Giants?
Most people are probably aware of the six rings Belichick has won with the Patriots as their head coach. However, for the less passionate fans out who may not be aware, Belichick actually won two more rings earlier in his coaching career when he was the defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. In total, that gives the former Patriots great, eight Super Bowl wins which is the most for any individual in the game.
Bill Belichick Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator
By the time Belichick was made the Giants defensive coordinator in 1985, he had been in the league as a coach of various positions for approximately a decade. He had gained sufficient experience and knowledge of the game and working under a great coach in Bill Parcells, Belichick was ready to flourish.
The Giants reached Super Bowl XXI after going 14-2 over the regular season and then completely demolishing the San Francisco 49ers and the then Washington Redskins (Commanders) in the playoffs. Led by Phil Simms at quarterback, Belichek’s defense held the Denver Broncos to just 20 points while the Giants put up 39 to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. It also gave Belichick his very first ring.
The Giants once again reached the summit game in Super Bowl XXV as the NFC’s number two seed with a 13-3 record. They swept past the Chicago Bears and upset the NFC’s first seed, the 49ers in the playoffs. The final against the Buffalo Bills was a nail-biter though as the Giants just managed to sneak a win by a score of 19-20.
Bill Belichick Super Bowls as a head coach
Belichick took on the head coaching job with the Patriots in the year 2000. Previously he had also been the head coach with the Cleveland Browns for five seasons but his stint in Ohio’s second most populated city was nothing to talk about. In New England though, Belichick quickly settled in and within no time turned them into a dynasty of sorts.
In only his second year with the top job, he and Tom Brady led the Patriots to their first-ever Lombardi Trophy when they upset the then dominant St. Louis Rams (Los Angeles Rams) 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI. It was a period of utter dominance from here on for the next several years.
The Patriots then won back-to-back Super Bowls in the 2003 and 2004 seasons as they first defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Both games were won with a margin of three points, but more importantly, the Patriots now had three Lombardi Trophies in a span of four years. Belichick had just completed his fifth year on the job.
After nearly a decade of going trophyless, the Patriots once again established a new dynasty where they won the Super Bowl every alternate year from the 2014 season onwards till the 2018 season. In 2014, they won Super Bowl XLIX over the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28-24 which gave Belichick his fourth ring as a head coach. This game featured a huge gaffe from the Seahawks as they were yards away from the endzone on the final drive of the game and instead of running the ball, they opted to throw, resulting in an interception by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.
In 2016 the Patriots played in Super Bowl LI which was by far the best victory of all of their Championships. They were trailing the Atlanta Falcons 21-3 at the half and then fell behind 28-3 in the third quarter before mounting an unbelievable comeback to win the game 34-28 in overtime. This game is regarded as one of the best Super Bowl victories if not the best ever.
The 2018 season saw the Patriots go 11-5 in the regular season but managed to reach Super Bowl LIII where they met the Rams. This Super Bowl is thought to be one of the most boring ones to ever watch as an audience as the final score of 13-3 doesn’t explain the fact that the game was tied 3-3 after three quarters of play. Eventually, the Patriots pulled off the victory in the fourth quarter handing Belichick his sixth and final ring as of now as a head coach.
Bill Belichick Super Bowl losses
In spite of all the success Belichick has had in his tenured career thus far, Belichick has also seen his fair share of despair. As the head coach of the Patriots, Belichick first suffered a loss in Super Bowl XLII when Eli Manning and the Giants upset them 14-17.
Next up was Super Bowl XLVI when the same combination of Manning and the Giants defeated them 17-21. Finally, his last defeat came in Super Bowl LII at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in a high-scoring 33-41 loss.
FAQs
A. Bill Belichick has won a total of eight Super Bowls; two as a defensive coordinator and six as a head coach.
A. Bill Belichick got the Patriots head coach job in 2000 and remained at the position until the end of the 2023 season.
A. Bill Belichick has lost three Super Bowls as a head coach. All three were with the Patriots.
A. Bill Belichick was born in Nashville, Tennessee on April 16, 1952.
A. Bill Belichick is the head coach with the most Super Bowl wins. He is a 6-time Super Bowl winner, all with the Patriots.
