Bill Belichick landed his first NFL coaching gig in 1975 as a “special assistant” on Ted Marchibroda’s Baltimore Colts. To put that in perspective, it was so long ago that 48-year-old George Blanda — George Blanda! — was still playing in the NFL. It was so long ago that Robert Kraft was the little-known part-owner of the Boston Lobsters of World Team Tennis. It was so long ago that most NFL fans under age 50 have no memory of the Colts being based in Baltimore.
This is the Bill Belichick of 2024: He’s a combination rock star/raconteur on tour, mobbed everywhere he goes as he talks about the inner workings of football (and lacrosse!) and spins tales about his experiences from a half-century in the NFL.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “History of the World: Part 1,” you may remember Mel Brooks saying, “It’s good to be the king.” And so it is with Belichick. It’s good to be Bill. Yes, it must be noted for bookkeeping purposes that Belichick was fired as head coach of the New England Patriots following the conclusion of the 2023 season, but for the time being it looks as though he enjoys being liberated from the stresses of being an NFL sideline boss.
He’s wealthy, and he looks healthy. Belichick, 72, has been spotted in the company of a younger woman, prompting reactions ranging from pearl-clutching to attaboys in the public opinion peanut gallery. He’s been signed up for a smorgasbord of well-compensated media gigs. He was spotted taking in a spring football practice at the University of Washington, where his son Steve is the Huskies’ new defensive coordinator. He attended a Northwestern University women’s lacrosse game against Ohio State.
Oh, and there was that springtime visit with the Nebraska football program, which included a clinic with the players and a long, in-depth skull session with the coaching staff. For those who didn’t catch Cornhusker coach Matt Rhule bubbling over Bill, here are some highlights:
“He is so smart, has seen so much, that he can make the complex so simple, that it humbles you and embarrasses you,” Rhule said. “I was embarrassed yesterday listening to him, how smart he is, how simple it was.
“He went 4 1/2 hours just with the coaches — forget the clinic,” said the Nebraska coach, who was born on Jan. 31, 1975, which is right around the time Belichick was settling at Wesleyan University for the spring semester of his senior year. “He came in and met with our coaching staff. Three-and-a-half hours in, I was, like, ‘Coach, would you like a water? Or coffee? Would you like to use the restroom?’ Because I desperately had to use the restroom.
“And he’s like, ‘I’m fine, man,’” Rhule said. “And I was, like, yesssss sir. Just sitting there and just talking, and his recalls from things 15 years ago … the only reason why we don’t get through more information is because he’s having to slow down to make sure you know what he’s saying.”
See? Good to be Bill. For anyone who thinks he’s locked away on Nantucket, twirling ball bearings in his hand and pining for the glitz and glitter of the NFL, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Read more on Belichick here.
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It’s good to be Bill Belichick these days, even if he’s not the all-time wins king (yet)
