Bill Belichick isn’t going to Chapel Hill blindly.
After spending nearly five decades on NFL sidelines, the eight-time Super Bowl champion took his first-ever college coaching job with the Tar Heels.
He was officially introduced Thursday.
Early reports of Belichick’s interest in the job were often scoffed at, but it’s clear he was interested from the jump.
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New North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
He was so into the job he had spoken with several of the school’s most famed alumni, including Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor. Belichick also said he spoke with Julius Peppers.
Jordan starred in Chapel Hill before becoming the greatest basketball player of all time, and Taylor was a mainstay in UNC’s defense before he was drafted by the New York Giants and coached by Belichick. The duo won two Super Bowls together with Big Blue.
Peppers, an NFL great, also played basketball for the school.
In typical Belichick fashion, he did not reveal what they spoke about, but he said they were all “very supportive.
New North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
BILL BELICHICK SAID HE ALWAYS WANTED TO COACH IN COLLEGE AFTER TAKING UNC JOB: ‘DREAM COME TRUE’
“There’s been a ton of support,” he added, “from ex-players and other UNC alums. This is a great brand and a great support system here. So, I’m excited to spend more time with these people.”
It’s a five-year deal for Belichick, who added that he did not “come [to Chapel Hill] to leave.”
Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels poses with athletic director Bubba Cunningham during a press conference Dec. 12, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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Belichick, 72, interviewed for at least two NFL jobs last offseason after he and the New England Patriots parted ways after 24 seasons and six championships.
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