Legendary head coach Bill Belichick shocked everyone by electing to take a college football job with the University of North Carolina (UNC), a program that nobody would consider a ‘blue blood’ in football.
In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Belichick explained that part of his motivation for signing with UNC is to honor the legacy of his father, Steve.
Bill Belichick Explains Desire to Honor Father Steve’s Legacy at UNC
Interviewer and New York Giants legend Michael Strahan asked Belichick about going to coach the same school where his dad coached.
“Your dad was the coach there, 1953 to 1955,” Strahan said. How does it feel for you to follow your father’s legacy?”
Belichick replied, “It feels great. It really feels great. You know, I grew up around college football.”
FULL INTERVIEW: Former New England Patriots head coach and current UNC football coach Bill Belichick discusses his memoir “The Art of Winning” and his life on and off the field with @michaelstrahan. pic.twitter.com/NgmaCxxP9S
— Good Morning America (@GMA)
Belichick’s father, Steve, was an assistant coach at North Carolina for three seasons. He then coached the backfield and scout team at Navy for four decades, from 1956 to 1989. Bill shared his experience growing up around college football at the Naval Academy.
“Great teams and great players there, you know, [Roger] Staubach, Tom Lynch, you know, Pat Donnelly and those guys,” Belichick said. “And they were great leaders, great people, and great inspirations to me. And I learned a lot from watching them. And so I’ve always kind of tried to make my team look like those teams, the kind of teamwork, camaraderie, communication, toughness, and resilience that those guys had.”
Belichick Shared Excitement to Work with College Football Players
Belichick went on to share that he is excited to work with college football players and does not intend to change much of his coaching style.
“They’re so eager, they’re hungry, they have dreams, they want to be good. I want to help make them good, and I want to help make them good on a good team. So, it’s really been exciting to work with these guys.”
The future Hall of Fame coach added that working with college football players is different than working with professionals. Belichick revealed that the college players have not necessarily developed habits yet and can still be molded in a desirable way. Known for bein very hands on and strict in his way, Belichick surely plans to execute a vision regardinig how he wants his players to play.
“Some of them don’t have bad habits either, and you can start to mold some of them,” he said. “Now, some of them don’t have some of the good experience habits that a great player has, but it’s great to work with them. They’ve been very enthusiastic, and we’ve made a lot of progress.”
UNC kicks off its college football campaign on September 2 against the TCU Horned Frogs.
