Bill Belichick definitely won the hearts of North Carolina fans early in his first press conference.
The former New England Patriots coach was introduced as the Tar Heels’ head coach on Thursday. The origins of the press conference were heavily influenced by Belichick’s father Steve’s time as an assistant at the University of North Carolina.
Belichick was a toddler when his father attended UNC. After holding up his father’s old sweatshirt at the podium, he said he remembered hearing his famous family’s stories about him as a child.
“Billy’s first words were, ‘Beat Duke,'” Belichick said.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach joins Bill Walsh as the second coach to take a college head coaching job after winning an NFL championship. Belichick, who spent the 2023 season away from coaching, said he always knew he wanted to be a college football coach and followed it silently.
“I always wanted to coach college football, but it just never worked out,” Belichick said. “That was OK because I had a good year in the NFL.”
Belichick also made it clear that he has no intention of transferring to the NFL to try his hand at the pros again. He was asked about a scenario where he signs a five-year contract with the school and coaches at North Carolina State for a few seasons before returning to the NFL.
“I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick said.
The 2025 season will be Belichick’s 30th year as head coach. Before spending 24 seasons with the Patriots, Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for five seasons.
When asked why he wanted to keep his job, Belichick said he didn’t feel like coaching football was a job.
“It worked out well,” Belichick said. “When you love what you do, my father told me, “When you love what you do, it’s not work. I love coaching, I love interacting with the players, I love building the team, I love the assistants, I love the game planning, I love the game itself.”
Belichick replaces North Carolina’s Mack Brown. Brown was one of only three active head coaches to ever win a national title, along with Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Georgia’s Kirby Smart. Brown was in his second stint at the University of North Carolina when he was fired after the regular season.
Former Browns interim coach and current UNC assistant Freddie Kitchens has been named interim coach of the Fenway Bowl team. Belichick said Kitchens would be the first hire on the coaching staff for the 2025 season.
Belichick added that he spoke with Michael Jordan before taking the North Carolina job and debunked a rumor that he gave UNC officials a 400-page document about the football team’s organizational structure.
“I have no idea where it came from. I don’t have the 400-page document,” Belichick said.
Belichick’s qualifications in the NFL are indisputable. He is the second winningest coach in league history and the coach with the most Super Bowl wins. But it’s fair to wonder if Belichick can repeat that success at the college level. Especially since he has no experience as a college head coach.
Walsh coached at Stanford University for two seasons before winning three Super Bowls with the 49ers. His second collegiate career at Stanford lasted three seasons. The Cardinal won 10 games in his first year back. They won seven games combined over the next two seasons before Walsh retired.
But the college game is much different than it was when Walsh returned with impending revenue-sharing deals with players and the current freedom to transfer and make money from name, image and likeness rights. Belichick noted the similarities between the changes and the college game against the NFL, but also said there are differences.
As part of Belichick’s hiring, the school is bringing in former NFL executive Michael Lombardi to a general manager role similar to an NFL front office. When asked how involved he would be in the recruiting process, Belichick mentioned how similar the operation in Carolina was to the one he worked with in the NFL.
“I think everyone goes through the recruiting process,” Belichick said. “It’s Michael and his scouting staff and evaluation, setting it up, being in the recruiting department and making it an attractive destination for players. But it’s also part of the coaching job, certainly the head coach as well. “We play a big role in that,” making sure we’re giving the athletes what they want. ”
