Steve Belichick

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Steve Belichick
File:Steve Belichick.png
Belichick in Yackety Yack 1954,
North Carolina yearbook
Sport(s) Football, basketball
Biographical details
Born (1919-01-07)January 7, 1919
Monessen, Pennsylvania
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Annapolis, Maryland
Playing career
Football
1938–1940 Western Reserve
1941 Detroit Lions
Position(s) Fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1946–1948 Hiram
1949–1952 Vanderbilt (backfield)
1953–1955 North Carolina (backfield)
1956–1989 Navy (backfield/scout)
Basketball
1946–1949 Hiram
Head coaching record
Overall 8–12–2 (football)
24–29 (basketball)

Stephen Nickolas "Steve" Belichick (January 7, 1919 – November 19, 2005) was an American football player, coach, and scout. He played college football at Western Reserve University from 1938 to 1940 and then in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions in 1941.

After serving in World War II, Belichick began his coaching career. From 1946 to 1949, he was the head football coach and the head basketball coach at Hiram College. He continued on as an assistant coach in college football with stints at Vanderbilt University (1949–1952), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1953–1955), and then for 34 years at the United States Naval Academy (1956–1989).

Belichick's son, Bill, is the current head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots.

Playing career

After graduation from Struthers High School,[1] Belichick attended Western Reserve University, where he played at fullback, scoring several touchdowns for the team in his senior season in 1940.[2]

After graduation, he worked as an equipment manager for the Detroit Lions. The team was struggling, and Belichick reportedly told the coach, Bill Edwards, "I can do better than most of the guys you've got."[3] Edwards, who had coached Belichick at Western Reserve, agreed, and signed him as a player. Though the team's fortunes did not improve, Belichick had some success, scoring a 65-yard touchdown punt return in a loss against the New York Giants.[3]

Coaching and scouting career

In 1942, Belichick joined the United States Navy, serving in both Europe and the Pacific.[4] After he completed his service in 1946, he became the head coach at Hiram College, southeast of Cleveland.[1] In 1949, he left Hiram to become the backfield coach at Vanderbilt University,[5] where he spent two seasons before joining the University of North Carolina as an assistant to George Barclay in 1953.[6]

In 1956, Belichick joined the United States Naval Academy staff, where he served primarily as a scout for over 30 years. His book Football Scouting Methods (Ronald Press, 1962) became a standard, described by Charley Casserly as the best book on the subject he had read,[4] and by Bleacher Report as the "Bible" of football scouting.[7]

Family

Steve Belichick was the youngest of five children born to Marija (Mary) Barković and Ivan (later John) Biličić, who immigrated to the United States in 1897 from Draganić, Karlovac County in Croatia.[8][9][10] In 1951, he married Jeannette Ruth (Munn), with whom he had one child, Bill.[4][11] Their son is currently the head coach of the New England Patriots and has cited his father, with whom he began analyzing game film at the age of 10, as his chief early influence.[12]

Head coaching record

Football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Hiram Terriers (Independent) (1946–1948)
1946 Hiram 5–3
1947 Hiram 2–4–1
1948 Hiram 1–5–1
Hiram: 8–12–2
Total: 8–12–2

References

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  7. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1076567-the-11-football-books-any-true-student-of-the-game-must-read
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External links