Bill Belichick

Belichick, Bill (William Stephen Belichick), 1952-, American professional football coach, b. Nashville, Tenn. The son of a college coach, he played football at Wesleyan Univ. He held various coaching positions in the National Football League before joining (1979) the New York Giants and becoming (1983) Bill Parcells' defensive coordinator. Subsequently, Belichick was head coach of the Cleveland Browns (1991-94) and assistant head coach of the New England Patriots (1996) and New York Jets (1997-99). Appointed to lead the Patriots in 2000, he guided the team to championships in 2001, 2003, and 2004, becoming the first NFL head coach to win three Super Bowls in four years. In 2007 the Patriots finished the season undefeated, but lost the Super Bowl.

Bibliography

See D. Halberstam, The Education of a Coach (2005).