'I didn't come here to leave': Bill Belichick addresses media as UNC head coach

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WGHP) — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill introduced Bill Belichick as head coach of the Tarheels football program at a press conference Thursday.

"Billy's first words were, 'Beat Duke!'" Belichick said, recalling a story his father told.

His father, Steve, was an assistant coach for the Tarheels in the 1950s.

During the introduction, UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts presented Belichick with a UNC sweatshirt that had the sleeves cutoff, a trademark for Belichick's sideline attire throughout his coaching career.

Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham also paid homage to the fashion statement by changing from a traditional suit coat, to one with the sleeves cutoff. Belichick himself presented an uncut UNC sweatshirt that belonged to his father.

"This is really a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad," Belichick said. "It's great to come back home to Carolina and back into an environment i really grew up in."

Belichick will be joined by former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi as the player personnel director for the Tarheels. Lombardi and Belichick worked together at the Cleveland Browns in the 1990s and again with the New England Patriots in 2014.

"Excited to be here. Excited to be in college football. Excited for the opportunity to build and develop young student athletes, young men and prepare them for their life either in the NFL or professionally," Belichick said.

When asked if he planned to use the head coach position as a way to bounce back to an NFL head coaching position, Belichick responded, "I didn't come here to leave."

Belichick's ties to Chapel Hill

His father Steve

Belichick's father, Steve Belichick served as an assistant coach at UNC in the 1950s before spending over 30 years as an assistant coach at United States Naval Academy.

Belichick has cited his father as the man who inspired him to become a football coach.

"He wanted to be with me, and I wanted to be with him," Steve said of a young Belichick to the Washington Post in 2005. "He was probably 5 or 6 years old when he started to get interested. The three of us drove down to William & Mary to scout a spring game because we were going to play them in the next year, and that's when I remember him showing his first interest. I'd take him to games with me when I could. He was always interested in what I was doing. He was never a bother."

Steve died in November 2005, but Belichick still strives to keep his father's legacy alive many years later.

He wore his father's fedora ahead of the Patriots' game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.

"It's my dad's hat," Belichick said to the media during the opening night festivities, according to ESPN. "That's who I learned from, working hard, doing your job, paying attention to details, treating the players as fairly and honestly as you can treat them. If it's good, it's good, if it's bad, it's bad. Just being honest with them. I would say all of those things I got from a lot of coaches, but I certainly got it from him."

Belichick's arrival in North Carolina will grant him the chance to win at a place where his father cut his teeth as a young coach.

Schefter reported on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday that, "There's a sentimental tie with his father having been there [at UNC]."

A photo of Belichick as a child inside Kenan Stadium was even revealed during Belichick's appearance on the show.

Lawrence Taylor

As mentioned earlier, Belichick made his name in professional coaching as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in the 1980s working under Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells.

During that time, Belichick got to coach Lawrence Taylor, a player that many consider to be the greatest defensive player in the history of football.

Belichick holds great reverence for Taylor, which he showed when he was asked to compare him to Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons in 2023.

"I would just say I wouldn't put anybody ahead of Lawrence Taylor, period," Belichick said, according to CBS Sports. "Maybe I'm prejudiced but I saw that guy every day for over a decade and he tilted the field for a decade. Until somebody does that, and there's a lot of great players. I'm not taking anything away from anybody else. There's a lot of great players that have been in this league, that are in this league, but personally, I'm not putting anybody ahead of Lawrence Taylor. Not yet." 

Before he starred in the NFL though, Lawrence Taylor spent his college days in Chapel Hill.

Belichick's qualifications

Belichick, 72, is considered by many to be the greatest NFL head coach of all time and was the architect of the New England Patriots dynasty from 2001-2019.

Belichick served as New England’s coach and general manager during those years and led the team to six championships. He also won two Super Bowls as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator in the 1980s.

Belichick appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday and outlined his plan if he were in charge of a college program.

"If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL," Belichick said. "It would be a professional program with training, nutrition, scheme and coaching techniques that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level. It would be an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that's college or the NFL."

Belichick will replace Mack Brown, Carolina's all-time wins leader, who the team fired on Nov. 26. Brown first coached the program from 1988-1997 before he left for the University of Texas where he won a national championship. He returned to Chapel Hill for a second stint in 2018.

Belichick, also considered by many to be among football's greatest defensive minds, could help fix the Tar Heels defense that has struggled mightily the last five seasons.

The defensive struggles that Carolina fans often bemoaned about likely played a large part in the decision to fire Brown.

These are the rankings of UNC’s defense during Mack Brown's second tenure:

With the exception of 2020, the Tar Heels consistently fielded a below-average defense which cost the team greatly during Brown’s second stint.

The issues persisted through several changes at defensive coordinator throughout the past six seasons and reached a breaking point following a 70-50 loss to James Madison University in Chapel Hill during the 2024 season.

Belichick, despite his professional accolades, has never coached on a full-time basis at the college level.

He “mutually parted ways” with the Patriots following the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season after a disappointing 4-13 finish.

He served in a consulting role with the University of Washington during the 2024 season. His son, Stephen Belichick, is currently Washington’s defensive coordinator.