Bill Belichick and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Thursday that they’d mutually agreed to part ways after a remarkable six-title run.
Belichick was a successful assistant coach and had a five-season stint in charge of the Cleveland Browns before leading New England to unprecedented success.
1979: He started a 12-year run working for the New York Giants, most notably under Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. He was the defensive coordinator when Big Blue won the Super Bowls of 1987 and 1991.
1991-95: His five-season run as head coach of the Cleveland Browns was up and down, going 36-44, with one good playoff run. He guided the wild-card Browns to the AFC semifinals before losing, 29-9, to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 7, 1995.
Feb. 14, 1996: The Browns fired Belichick.
1996: After his termination in Cleveland, Belichick reunited with Parcells, now the head man in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and they led New England to the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers, led by QB Brett Favre, won that game on Jan. 26, 1997.
1997-1999: Parcells moved on to become head coach of the New York Jets, bringing Belichick along as his top assistant. The Jets came within one win of making it to the Super Bowl, falling 23-10, to John Elway and the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game on Jan. 17, 1999.
Jan. 4, 2000: After Parcells stepped down, Belichick was set to take over in New York and the team scheduled a press conference to introduce the newly promoted head coach. Instead, in one of the most famous resignations in pro football history, Belichick scribbled “I resign as HC of the NYJ” on a napkin, and explained at that press conference why he wasn’t taking the job.
Jan. 27, 2000: The New England Patriots hired Belichick as their head coach. The Pats went 5-11 in his first season.
April 16, 2000: Tom Brady was picked by the Patriots in the sixth round of the NFL draft. He was the 199th player selected overall.
Sept. 23, 2001: New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis delivered a punishing tackle on Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe, knocking him out of the game and forcing the Patriots to use the little-known backup, Brady.
Jan. 19, 2002: The Patriots beat the Oakland Raiders, 16-13, in a overtime playoff contest that brought a little-known rule to the national stage. Brady appeared to fumble late in the game, clinching an apparent Oakland win. But referees invoked the obscure “tuck rule,” which changed the play to an incomplete pass, giving New England another chance.
Feb. 3, 2002: Brady-led New England won its first Super Bowl title, beating the St. Louis Rams and their “Greatest Show on Turf.”
Feb. 1, 2004: The Patriots won the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, beating the Carolina Panthers, 32-29.
Feb. 6, 2005: New England went back-to-back, beating the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21, for the club’s third Super Bowl in four years.
Sept. 13, 2007: The NFL fined Belichick $500,000 after the Patriots were caught taping the New York Jets’ defensive signals in a scandal that came to be known as “Spygate.” The saga launched a years-long distrust and dislike of the team.
Feb. 3, 2008: The Patriots completed a 16-0 regular season in 2007 before they were defeated by the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, 38-35.
Feb. 5, 2012: The Giants scored another upset Super Bowl win over New England. The 21-17 New York win was highlighted by “The Helmet Catch,” when David Tyree caught a desperation heave from quarterback Eli Manning, securing the ball against his head.
Feb. 1, 2015: The Pats won the Super Bowl, 28-24, over the Seattle Seahawks thanks to a game-saving interception by Malcolm Butler. The goal-line pick is widely considered one of the most dynamic defensive plays in football history.
Feb 5, 2017: New England rallied from a 28-3 deficit to score a 34-28 OT victory over the Atlanta Falcons for the Patriots’ fifth Super Bowl win. It was the largest comeback in the game’s history and first one to last more than 60 minutes.
Feb. 4, 2018: The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl with a 41-33 win over the Patriots. The game was best known for an Eagles trick play, known as “Philly, Philly” or the “Philly Special.”
Feb. 3, 2019: In a masterful defensive performance, the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, for New England’s sixth title.
March 27, 2020: Brady announced he’s leaving the Patriots. He’ll eventually sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he went on to win a Super Bowl trophy without Belichick.
April 29, 2021: New England picked Alabama QB Mac Jones with the 15th overall selection of the NFL Draft, in hopes he’d fill Brady’s shoes. Jones would eventually lose his starting job by 2023.
Sunday: The New York Jets beat New England, 17-3, ending the Patriots season at 4-13, by far the worst in Belichick’s time in Foxborough.
Thursday: Belichick and Kraft announce the coach had stepped down by mutual agreement.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
