Bill Belichick is widely viewed as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, and although he has made a massive impact on the league during his time in it, he has never suited up and actually played in an NFL game before.
Bill Belichick Coaching Career
Belichick’s coaching career is extensive. His time in the NFL began in 1975 when he took an assistant job working for the Baltimore Colts fresh out of college. He was in Baltimore for one season before he joined the Detroit Lions as their assistant special teams coach, where he later added tight ends and wide receivers to his coaching duties the following year.
Belichick only spent two seasons in Detroit before a short one-year stint with the Denver Broncos in a similar role in 1978. 1979 is when Belichick began to gain some stability in his coaching career as he joined the New York Giants and stayed there until 1990. He acted as a defensive assistant and special teams coach until he was named the defense coordinator in 1985.
In 1991, Belichick got his first shot as a head coach with the Cleveland Browns, a title he held until 1995. During his tenure as the head guy in Cleveland, the team compiled a record of 36-44. The Browns moved their franchise to Baltimore, becoming the Ravens team we know. Not long after the change of scenery, Belichick was relieved of his duties.
1996 was the first year Belichick would be a member of the New England Patriots, serving as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach under Bill Parcells.
In 1999, a bizarre twist in Belichick’s coaching story unfolded as he became the New York Jets head coach for only one day. On Jan. 4, 2000, Belichick was introduced as head coach to the media. The day after his hiring was publicized, he turned it into a surprise resignation announcement instead.
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Upon that change of heart in New York, Belichick rejoined the Patriots as their head coach and has remained in that position ever since. Belichick went on to win six Super Bowls with the Patriots and is viewed as one of the game’s greatest minds.
Belichick will soon be enshrined in Canton, OH, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game as a coach. But one thing Belichick cannot say he has done is played in the NFL.