Bill Belichick has officially made the shocking move to college football by becoming the North Carolina head coach. But why?
The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach was formally introduced as the new coach of the Tar Heels on Thursday, officially starting the Belichick era in Chapel Hill. The decision sent shockwaves not just in the college football world but also in the NFL. It’s common to see college football coaches make the jump to the NFL, but it’s not often you see an NFL coach, especially someone of Belichick’s caliber, go to the college ranks when it appeared he was waiting to get another professional coaching job.
So why did the man that was part one of the greatest dynasties in the NFL and 14 wins away from breaking Don Shula’s NFL record for all-time wins decide to leave the pro game to make the jump to the ACC? Thursday was the first opportunity for Belichick to say why he took the job.
Bill Belichick says why he decided to go to North Carolina
Belichick said he always wanted to coach college football, especially since his father, Steve Belichick, was a college coach for more than 40 years, which included a stint at North Carolina. He called it a ‘full circle moment’ to be at North Carolina and he is excited about the opportunity to develop college football players.
‘This is really kind of a dream come true,’ he said. ‘As a kid, all I knew was college football.’
The past ties to North Carolina is what drew Belichick to becoming the team’s head coach, as well as ‘all the things that the University of North Carolina stands for.’
‘It’s been really kind of a connection to this school,’ he said. ‘But everything that it stands for, on the field, off the field, and really the destination that Carolina is for really so many student athletes, there’s so much opportunity here.’
There are plenty of questions as to why Belichick decided to continue his coaching career at the age of 72 and not just step away from the sideline completely. Belichick joked the job ‘beats working.’ He added that he loves coaching and he remembers his dad telling him that if you love what you do, it’s not work. He also said he won’t be using the North Carolina job to try and get a job back in the NFL.
‘I didn’t come here to leave,’ Belichick said.
Having spent this year away from coaching, Belichick noted the extra time off has allowed him to watch college football much more than he did while he was in charge of the Patriots. He said it’s been an awesome experience to be involved in and he has a better perspective of the interest in the game.