FOXBORO — Patriots safeties coach Brian Belichick feigned obliviousness when he walked into a packed media workroom for his bi-weekly media session.
“So, you understand how exciting this trip out to Arizona is?” Belichick joked as if the reporters were there to talk to him about the Patriots’ upcoming game against the Cardinals.
No, the job Belichick’s dad, Bill Belichick, took as head coach of the University of North Carolina upstaged any Patriots storyline in New England this week.
After 48 years of coaching in the NFL and one year in the media, Bill Belichick is undertaking a new challenge of coaching at the college level.
“Really happy for my dad. A lot of people are excited, including him,” Brian Belichick said. “It’s going to be fun to watch. He loves coaching football. It’s what he should be doing. It’s going to be great. It’s really exciting. Really happy for him and think we’re all excited to watch it.”
Brian is the youngest of Bill’s three kids, all of whom have followed in their father’s footsteps in coaching. Amanda is the head coach of Holy Cross women’s lacrosse, and Steve is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington, though it wouldn’t be shocking if he followed his father to the Tar Heels.
Brian was asked if he too would leave the NFL for the college game. The safeties coach said he’s too focused on the present.
“I personally, I have my hands full today getting ready for practice out there on the fields,” Brian Belichick said. “This is an especially big day for us because we’re leaving tomorrow. So, a lot to talk about today and get straight. Like every week in the NFL, there’s a lot to talk about dealing with these great offenses, week by week, and this week is obviously no exception. So, we have our hands full here, and that’s my focus is going to Arizona and getting a win.”
Brian spoke to Bill on the phone Wednesday night and conveyed that his dad is excited for the opportunity.
It does come as a bit of a surprise that Bill Belichick would leave the NFL and head to college. The veteran head coach was 14 wins away from Don Shula’s all-time record. That record seems safe for now with Belichick signing a five-year deal with the Tar Heels.
Brian Belichick didn’t seem surprised that his dad would move to the college game.
“He loves coaching. And opportunities present themselves in different ways,” Brian Belichick said. “I think he would love coaching a number of different things. He would love coaching lacrosse, I think if he wasn’t coaching football. He’d probably love teaching if he wasn’t coaching sports. I think it’s something he’s great at, obviously. This is the opportunity and I think it’s awesome. UNC’s a great school, football program, exciting fan base nationally down there. Not that I have a lot of background on it, but people are excited and that’s great.”
Bill Belichick’s father, also named Steve Belichick, was UNC’s backfield coach from 1953 to 1955 before leaving to coach at Navy from 1956 to 1989. So, there is a connection for Bill Belichick, who was just three years old in his father’s last season in Chapel Hill, N.C.
“It’s been a part of his life, coaching, for 50 years. And before professionally, not that I was there, he was thinking about it with his dad,” Brian Belichick said. “He obviously chose the right profession. I think we’re all happy to see that he’s going to be coaching again.”
Bill Belichick’s move gives New Englanders a rooting interest in FBS college football for those who don’t follow Boston College, UMass or UConn. Bill O’Brien’s BC Eagles are not scheduled to play UNC next season, though the two teams could presumably meet in the ACC championship game.
UNC will play in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl against UConn on Saturday, Dec. 28 at Fenway Park in Boston. Freddie Kitchens is UNC’s interim head coach in that game, though we’ll see if Bill Belichick makes an appearance.