January 27, 2000, seems like just another average day to most, but for the New England Patriots this was the day that the franchise changed and got its second wind. Bill Belichick was named the head coach of the Patriots 17 years ago today, and what a run it has been for the 64-year-old and the team during that span. Here’s his very first press conference as the head coach of the team.
His first season in charge didn’t go very well, as the Patriots took a step back and finished 5-11 after finishing 8-8 the previous season. However, while it seemed bad at the time, that was the first and only time the Patriots would finish below the .500 mark under his control.
In his first three seasons as Patriots head coach, the team went 25-23. Since the 2003 campaign, the team has posted a 176-92 record. Their 176 victories during that span are more than the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers have in their franchise’s history, while the Baltimore Ravens have 181 victories as a franchise.
Belichick is still 91 victories behind Don Shula on the all-time wins list, but his four Super Bowl victories as a head coach of the Patriots put him in a tie for first all-time with Chuck Noll. If the Patriots can beat the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI, Belichick will move into sole possession of first place on the NFL’s list for most Super Bowl victories as a head coach.
(H/T Twitter/JoeGiza)
