The Southern Part of Heaven Welcomes Bill Belichick

ORANGE SLICES

By Laurie Paolicelli
Guest Columnist

Go Heels worked with Uplifting Athletes. This family was on the field prior to the Practice like a Pro event and Coach Belichick provided the family with a signed football. Photo by Justin Wilson.

Bill Belichick has hit the ground running as the new head coach of the Tar Heels football program. A prominent figure in the world of football, Belichick’s arrival in Chapel Hill has garnered significant media attention — not all of it has focused on his coaching credentials. As is often the case with high-profile individuals in athletics, public interest extends beyond the field. While personal scrutiny can be unavoidable, at the same time it’s important to recognize Belichick’s long-standing success as a coach and his commitment to giving back to those in need. Here’s what some of his contemporaries have to say about Bill:

Phil Savage, of the New York Jets: “To be great on the field, you have to be emotional. To be great in the front office, you have to be robotic. The way he can separate in his mind the deep, personal relationships he has to have with his players downstairs in the locker room, on the field and in games, versus the business reality of looking at the same exact players from a strictly financial standpoint, that’s not just incredibly hard, that’s almost impossible. When we’d win a big game, on Monday he’d give you one of those $100 handshakes. It was the kind of gesture people would never, ever connect to Bill Belichick. There’s a generosity to Bill most people don’t get to see.” 

Bob Quinn (Detroit Lions General Manager, Former Patriots Scout and Director of Pro Scouting, 2000-15): “I accepted the Lions job at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Bill’s assistant said he was in the weight room on the treadmill. I went down there and he turned the treadmill down and he walked really slow and we just sat there and had a conversation for well over an hour about everything. The river just unloaded. People don’t know. They don’t see that guy on the treadmill. They see the guy in front of the press podium.”

The Bill Belichick Foundation provides coaching, mentorship, and financial support to bring the values of the Belichick family — a love of sports, coaching and team building — to the athletic leaders of tomorrow.

Jon Robinson, Former Patriots director of college scouting and current Tennessee Titans GM: “After my daughter was diagnosed at 6 with Type 1 diabetes, a week later on my desk there was a little teddy bear, with a Belichick hoodie on it. And he had written a note: ‘I know this doesn’t cure it, but just something for Taylor to know we are thinking about her and praying for her.’ She knew it was from Coach.”

Dick Miller, Professor at Wesleyan University, shares a letter he received from his former student, Bill. It reads: ‘I honestly never thought that my economics background would be of much help as a football coach, but with the new salary cap I need a calculator to break down game films. The creativity of contracts and ‘beating the cap’ will have a lot to do with each team’s success in the NFL in the next few years and I’m sure you’d be very good at it. I always carry many fond thoughts of Wesleyan and your guidance with me. Best wishes, Bill.'”

Rick Venturi, former NFL Defensive Coordinator: “I kneel at the altar of Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Tom Landry and Bill Walsh, but Bill Belichick may go down as the best. What Bill’s done, how he’s been so good for so long is absolutely amazing.”

And of course, there’s his family, all of whom have a unique perspective on the Tar Heel’s new coach. Belichick has three children with his ex-wife, Debby Clarke Belichick: a daughter named Amanda and sons Steve and Brian. All of them have followed in their father’s footsteps, but they’re doing it their own way.

Amanda is the head coach of the Holy Cross women’s lacrosse program. She puts his influence on her and her brothers succinctly: “It’s about forging our own path.”

Steve was an assistant coach for the New England Patriots from 2012 to 2023. He’s currently the defensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His brother, Brian, has joined him on coaching staff as well.

All three siblings have been there for their father’s Super Bowl championships, but they’ve also been there for the lowest of the lows.

“I don’t know if anybody will understand what those headlines and newspapers really do to families. It’s hard,” Steve Belichick said. “Obviously, everybody in the NFL signs up for these jobs understanding the pressure. Some things are more necessary than others, especially when people don’t know the true facts behind it. I would say that’s the most hurtful… My family really experienced that firsthand a couple of times.”

Bill Belichick has found a new home in Chapel Hill and has brought much of his family with him. And kids don’t just follow their dad around for a job. They do it because they love him.

Welcome Bill Belichick to the Southern Part of Heaven.

Source for quotes: https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/17703210/new-england-patriots-coach-bill-belichick-greatest-enigma-sports

Bill Belichick Foundation

Share your thoughts with me here,

Laurie Paolicelli

Disclaimer: Published by Orange County’s Tourism Department through its Public Relations team, this story includes interviews and repurposed content from websites and partner press releases. For more, visit www.visitchapelhill.org or contact Laurie Paolicelli.

Laurie Paolicelli is executive director for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, a position she has held since 2005. Laurie has worked in tourism and marketing for twenty-five years, having served in leadership roles in Houston and California convention and visitor bureaus. She is a native of the Twin Ports of Duluth, MN/Superior Wisconsin. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Communications from the University Wisconsin-Superior and graduate certification in Technology In Marketing from the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media. This reporter can be reached at Information@TheLocalReporter.press