|
Bill Belichick has been called the
finest tactician in the NFL coaching ranks. He recently completed his sixth season as
head coach of the New England Patriots. His second campaign culminated in a
Super Bowl title during the 2001 season as did his fourth in 2003 and his
fifth in 2004.
He is the first NFL head coach with three Super Bowl rings. He led the
Patriots to the AFC semi-finals as champions of the AFC East in 2005. He was head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991-95 following a successful
12-year stint as an NFL assistant coach with the New York Giants. That included two Super Bowl wins as
the Giants' defensive coordinator. Bill rejoined his
former head coach in New York, Bill Parcells, as assistant head coach for
the New England Patriots for the 1996 season. He also served as associate
head coach with the New York Jets for three seasons (1997-99).
Beginning his NFL
career as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Colts in 1975, Bill moved to the
Detroit Lions in 1976, remaining there for two seasons before spending a year
in the Denver Broncos
organization before moving on the the New York Giants in
1979. He has been an NFL coach now for 31 straight years. At Wesleyan,
Bill was a football,
squash and lacrosse letterwinner, serving as a team captain
for the 1975 lacrosse squad, and majored in economics.
On campus for his
20th reunion in 1995, Bill spoke at a panel, describing his experience in
the NFL. Returning to Middletown for Commencement in May, 2002, Bill
received Wesleyan's Raymond E. Baldwin Medal, the highest honor awarded by the
alumni body for extraordinary service to the University and to the public
interest. He also spoke to a group of prospective students and their parents
during WesFest in April, 2004 and stayed to watch his daughter Amanda '07
play in a women's lacrosse game. During Wesleyan's 2005 Commencement,
Bill received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater.
|
