Bill Belichick

Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1953, Bill Belichick had football in his blood. His father, Steve Belichick, played professionally for the Detroit Lions for one season before heading off to WWII, then a career as an assistant coach at a number of colleges, most notably the United States Naval Academy, where he was an assistant for 34 years. The younger Belichick played college football and lacrosse at Wesleyan University and upon graduating, aggressively pursued a career as an NFL coach. His first NFL position was as special assistant to Baltimore Colts head coach Ted Marchibroda in 1975. In 1976, Belichick moved to the Detroit Lions and in 1978 to the Denver Broncos. In 1979, Coach Belichick began a long and fruitful partnership with the New York Giants. With the Giants, he served under two head coaches, first Ray Perkins, then, beginning in 1983, Bill Parcells. In 1985, Belichick was promoted to defensive coordinator, and in this position he was part of two Super Bowl victories, Super Bowl XXI (after the 1986 season), and Super Bowl XXV (1990). After the 1990 season, Belichick accepted his first head coach position, with the Cleveland Browns. With the Browns from 1991 to 1995, Belichick managed to lead the team to the playoffs only once, and was let go after the 1995 season; just before owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore. From 1996 to 1999, Belichick returned to a familiar role as Parcells' right hand man, first with the New England Patriots, then, from 1997 to 1999, with the New York Jets. In 2000, Belichick was hired in his signature role as head coach of the New England Patriots. Although the Patriots missed the playoffs after his first season, the team turned around and won their first Super Bowl in 2001 (Super Bowl XXXVI). Under Belichick, the Patriots also won Super Bowls after the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In 2007, after being harshly punished for filming the signals during a game against the New York Jets, Belichick led the Patriots to the first undefeated regular season since 1972, although the team lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. The Giants again prevailed against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, after the 2011 regular season. After the 2014 season, the Patriots and Belichick won their fourth Super Bowl, tying Chuck Knoll for most Super Bowl wins by a head coach.