The news rocked the football world.
If not him, then who?
Many believed his induction would be a formality. A no-brainer. But in late January, when the Hall of Fame voting took place, Belichick fell two votes short of the required 40 out of 50 needed for induction into Canton.
Despite owning one of the most decorated coaching resumes professional football has ever seen, he will not be enshrined in his first year of eligibility.
Where it all started
It feels like Belichick has always been destined for greatness. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he was named after Bill Edwards, a College Football Hall of Fame member, who was also his godfather.
He grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, where his father served as an assistant coach at the Naval Academy. From an early age, Belichick quietly shadowed the Navy coaching staff, absorbing everything he could. He learned how to break down game film before even graduating high school.
Belichick played lacrosse and, of course, football. He lined up at center and tight end, eventually leading him to Wesleyan University in Connecticut. There, he didn’t just play football - he also excelled in lacrosse and squash. His all-around athleticism and dedication stood out so much that he became part of Wesleyan’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2008.
After graduating in 1975 with a degree in economics, Belichick immediately jumped into coaching. His first job came as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts. A year later, he moved on to the Detroit Lions, then spent time with the Denver Broncos as a defensive and special teams assistant.
Then, a breakthrough came.
Belichick enters the NFL
All his effort and hard work paid off – in 1979, the New York Giants hired Belichick as a defensive assistant and special teams coach. That marked this 12-year stint in the Big Apple.
During that time, he helped guide the Giants to two Super Bowl victories, including their iconic 20–19 upset of the heavily favored Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. His genius defensive game plan from that championship game has been placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That’s how good he was.
After that second Super Bowl win, the Cleveland Browns offered Belichick his first head coaching job. But he struggled in Cleveland – compiling a 36-44 record in his four-season tenure, leaving the franchise to fire him after his fourth year on the sideline.
After the dismissal from the Browns, Bill returned to an assistant coaching role with the New England Patriots. There, he found success again and reached the Super Bowl, though the Patriots fell to the Green Bay Packers.
But this didn’t spark the historic run in New England. Belichick needed one more stop.
He returned to New York, but this time as an assistant coach for the Jets. After two years, head coach Bill Parcells stepped down. His replacement was obvious – before leaving the Jets, Parcells negotiated a head coaching position for Belichick. But this move created Belichick’s first career controversy.
One day after the Jets announced his promotion, Belichick turned his introductory press conference into a resignation. Just moments before stepping to the podium, he scribbled, "I resign as HC of the NYJ," on a napkin and handed it to team officials.
The room was speechless.
"Well, not only one of the most defining, but you know, one of the great moments of my career," said Belichick 20 years later when reflecting on one of his iconic moments.
Why the sudden change of plans back then? The Patriots came to play.
Belichick's historic years in New England
The leadership desired for Belichick to return, and he couldn’t hold back, even though he was legally tied to the Jets. But New England worked with New York on a deal, eventually trading rights to Belichick for their first-round draft pick.
That trade altered NFL history.
For the Patriots, it ignited a dynasty etched forever into football lore. For the Jets, it marked the beginning of a long and painful downfall. One head coach, two franchises - two wildly different destinies.
In 2020, the immortal Patriot run was born. And Belichick started his second ride in Foxborough with a homerun by drafting a quarterback other teams overlooked - Tom Brady. Belichick saw something no one else did and gave him the opportunity to prove it.
A year later, he drafted Richard Seymour, another future Hall of Famer. Later, he brought in Randy Moss and signed Rob Gronkowski. Belichick’s success didn’t lie just in his smart strategies and play calls - he also possessed a unique ability to see players’ potential and then allowed them to excel within his system.
The results were historic. Belichick led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories - first in 2002 and last in 2019 - cementing himself as the most successful head coach the NFL has ever seen. Critics often point to Brady as the driving force behind that success.
But didn’t all successful coaches have one to build their team on?
Belichick's controversies
Chuck Noll ranks second behind Belichick with four Super Bowl victories. He relied on Terry Bradshaw and the legendary Steel Curtain. Andy Reid, the current coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, won three rings with Patrick Mahomes.
To win the Lombardi Trophy takes more than just a superior playmaker. It would be foolish to think that this kind of success lies in the hands of a single player.
His dazzling coaching mind was undeniable, but he did have to endure a couple more controversies. The first one surfaced in 2007 – the Patriots were accused of illegally videotaping their opponent’s defensive signals from their own sideline. A scandal known as "Spygate" drew attention beyond the football sphere.
Both Belichick and the Patriots were fined, and the team was ordered to surrender all related footage. The tapes were destroyed, leaving the full scope of the scandal unknown. Allegedly, the videotaping began in 2000 and continued until the Jets reported it seven years later.
But this wasn’t the only time the Patriots were accused of cheating.
In 2015, Tom Brady was accused of orchestrating the deliberate deflation of footballs used during New England’s 2014 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Deflategate scandal.
The fallout was severe: Brady received a four-game suspension, the Patriots were fined one million dollars, and the team forfeited two draft picks.
Belichick claimed he knew nothing about the ball deflation and offered full cooperation during the investigation.
After starting the season without Brady due to his suspension, the franchise won another Super Bowl after completing one of the best championship comebacks in history.
Brady brought his team back from a 25-point halftime deficit and was named the Super Bowl MVP for the fourth time in his career.
Belichick’s tenure in New England ended in 2024, when both sides mutually agreed to part ways. After taking a year away from the NFL, he returned to coaching as the head coach of the University of North Carolina.
His first season with the Tar Heels ended with a 4–8 record.
So what now?
This year made Belichick eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame for the first time. But it won’t be happening just yet after failing to secure support from at least 80% of the committee members. After finding out, sources around Belichick described him as "puzzled" and "disappointed."
"Six Super Bowls isn’t enough?" he reportedly asked his associate, declining to further comment on the matter.
His absence in this year’s induction class drew attention from current and former players and coaches. Belichick received support, respect, and encouragement. And mostly disbelief about the voting panel’s actions.
"I don’t understand it," said Brady. "If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it."
"It's very asinine that he was not a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's just absolutely absurd," said Gronkowski. "Guy has eight rings, second-most (combined regular season and playoff) wins of all time, most wins in the playoffs."
Support also poured in from Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James, David Andrews, and others.
It is clear that his failing to meet the induction criteria had nothing to do with his coaching. Without a doubt, he revolutionized professional football. “Politics kept him out. He doesn't believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments," said another source from Belichick’s surroundings.
"It was Spygate and Deflategate that kept him out. The only explanation (for the outcome) was the cheating stuff. It really bothered some of the guys," a veteran Hall voter told ESPN.
But here’s the thing - even if Belichick’s resume began after Spygate, he would still own three Super Bowl titles and another Super Bowl appearance. By itself, that resume would be worthy of enshrinement.
Belichick’s snub sparked discussions about the current voting system. Undeniably, he will eventually make it to Canton. But after the robbery brought up the New England legend’s resume again, one has to wonder whether a change within the HOF should take place.
Because if Bill Belichick isn’t a first-ballot Hall of Famer, the question remains:
Who is?