Bill Belichick named HC of Patriots 23 years ago today

Twenty-three years ago today, Bill Belichick was named head coach of the New England Patriots, and the rest has been quite the history.  On January 27th, 2000, the entire direction of the team changed for the better.

Belichick was named head coach of the team 23 years ago on this date, and since then, it’s been quite the ride for the team.  Over his 23 year career, Belichick has gone 262-108 in the regular season and 30-12 in the playoffs, winning over 70% of his games combined.

He’s won six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the Patriots.  Three of them came in 2001, 2003, and 2004, where the Patriots dynasty more or less “officially” began.

They then went quite a while until they won another won.  Their next Super Bowl titles came in 2014, 2016, and 2018.  Former quarterback Tom Brady was the QB for each of these magical seasons, and the debate has gone on for years about whether Brady or Bill Belichick should be given more credit for the team’s success.

The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, as Brady’s greatness is objectively spectacular, but Belichick’s game-planning, disciplined teams, and elite defenses have been consistent for years.

In 2023, Belichick will enter his 24th season as head coach in the NFL and 29th season overall as a head coach.  He’s slowly approaching Don Shula’s all time win record of 328.  He sits all alone in third place, and could reach the first place mark with 31 more wins total.

Whenever Belichick decides to retire from coaching, he’ll eventually enshrined in the Hall of Fame and will go down as perhaps the greatest head coach in NFL history.

The New England Patriots have become a worldwide brand during his tenure, and even though they’ve gone through a couple of rough years lately, that does not diminish the amount of success he’s had with the team.