Bill Belichick was unveiled as the University of North Carolina’s new head coach on Thursday and announced upon his arrival that coaching in college was something he’d “always wanted”.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach has agreed to a five-year deal at UNC, where his late father was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953 to 1955.
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Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots in January after 24 years and six Super Bowl titles with the franchise
At Belichick’s introductory press conference, UNC chancellor Lee Roberts came armed with a gift: a short-sleeved grey hoodie – a trademark from his NFL coaching days – bearing the UNC logo.
“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick told the reporters gathered. “It just never really worked out.”
“I had some good years in the NFL, so that was okay,” he added, delivered with his usual dry wit.
“This is really kind of a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad, he was a coach at Navy for 50 years, so as a kid all I knew is college football.
It’s great to come back home to Carolina and back in an environment that I really grew up in.”
The school’s trustees approved terms of the deal to hire Belichick as the new football coach earlier on Thursday.
He sat between Roberts and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who paid his own tribute by donning a suit jacket with the sleeves cut off to mimic another Belichick sideline look.
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Neil Reynolds reflected on Belichick’s incredible tenure in New England after it was announced he was leaving the Patriots after 24 seasons
The 72-year-old Belichick holds 333 career wins in the NFL, trailing only Don Shula’s 347 for the NFL record, while his 31 playoff wins are the most in league history – and he has been linked to other NFL jobs since his departure from the New England Patriots at the end of last season, most notably the Atlanta Falcons in January.
When asked about fan concerns that he might leave quickly for the next NFL job, Belichick said: “I didn’t come here to leave.”
“I’m here to, as Bubba said, teach, develop and build a program in the way that I believe in.”
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Bill Belichick’s final press conference with the team after stepping down as head coach of the New England Patriots
And when asked how long he might want to keep coaching, Belichick quipped: “It beats working. My dad told me this: when you love what you do, it’s not work.
“I love what I do. I love coaching.”
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