Bill Belichick had simply been launched Thursday as North Carolina’s subsequent soccer coach when Chancellor Lee Roberts arrived armed with a present: a grey short-sleeved sweatshirt — a little bit of a trademark from Belichick’s NFL teaching days – with an interlocking blue “NC” brand.
It was the visible affirmation, which can take some getting used to, that the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, whose title has change into synonymous with success within the NFL, has made an surprising first dive into school teaching. Now he runs a program at a faculty with a nationwide model however one which hasn’t been capable of maintain fleeting pockets of high-level success relating to soccer.
“I’ve all the time needed to educate school soccer,” Belichick stated throughout his introductory press convention on campus. “It by no means actually labored out. I had some good years within the NFL, so it was nice.”
School directors on Thursday authorized the phrases of the settlement to rent Belichick as its new soccer coach. Specific phrases have but to be launched, though the college stated Wednesday there was a five-year settlement.
Belichick arrived sporting a darkish go well with, a light-weight blue shirt and a tie with a light-weight blue and white sample. He sat between Roberts and athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who paid his tribute by sporting a jacket with cut-off sleeves to imitate Belichick’s cropped courtside look.
“I’m right here, like Bubba stated, educating and creating and constructing a program the best way I imagine,” Belichick stated.
Jordan Schultz shares what he expects from Bill Belichick’s school soccer journey at UNC
Moving on from 73-year-old Mack Brown to rent 72-year-old Belichick means UNC is popping to a coach who has by no means labored on the school stage however has had unimaginable success within the NFL alongside quarterback Tom Brady for a lot of the season. his 24-year tenure with the Patriots, which ended final season.
Belichick holds 333 profession common season and postseason victories within the NFL, trailing solely Don Shula’s 347 for the NFL report, whereas his 31 playoff victories are probably the most in league historical past.
He had been linked to NFL jobs since his departure from the Patriots, particularly the Atlanta Falcons in January. That’s why rumors of Belichick’s conversations with UNC sparked such shock as an surprising and unconventional candidate.
There’s additionally at the very least a small household connection to the UNC program for Belichick; his late father, Steve, was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953-55.
Asked about fan issues that he may shortly go away for his subsequent NFL job, Belichick stated, “I did not come right here to depart.”
And when requested how lengthy he needed to proceed teaching, he joked: “It’s higher than working. My dad advised me this: ‘When you’re keen on what you do, it isn’t work.’ I really like what I do. I really like teaching.”
It will arrive on campus at a time of speedy adjustments in school athletics, from the free motion of gamers by way of the switch portal and the flexibility of athletes to money in on endorsements to the approaching arrival of income sharing. And he is taking up a program that for a faculty with a nationwide model — significantly as a tradition-rich blue blood in school basketball — has by no means sustained elite soccer success in its lengthy historical past.
Associated Press reporting.
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