Former Patriots HC Bill Belichick headlines Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists group in coach category
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was announced as one of nine coach category semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame induction on Wednesday.
Belichick headlines a star-studded group of former NFL head coaches, six of whom won at least one Super Bowl during their tenures. Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves join Belichick as semifinalists.
The nine Semifinalists in the Coach category for possible election as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 are: Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Mike Shanahan. pic.twitter.com/EXmvfSFJf8
- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2025
Belichick isn't done coaching. He's in the midst of his first year leading the North Carolina Tar Heels. His long and storied pro football coaching career began in 1975 and lasted through the 2023 campaign. Belichick's first NFL coaching gig came with the Baltimore Colts under head coach Ted Marchibroda.
All these years later, Belichick is considered by many to be the greatest NFL coach of all time. His six Super Bowl rings as head coach of the Patriots and two as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants under Bill Parcells make for a solid case. His 302 regular-season victories rank third on the NFL's all-time list behind only Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318). Counting playoff victories, Belichick (333) is second only to Shula (347). Those six Super Bowl wins as a head coach also rank first, two more than Chuck Noll.
Under Parcells in New York, Belichick helped build one of the most ferocious defenses of that era behind Hall of Fame players like linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson. The legend of Belichick being a defensive guru began with the Giants and helped him parlay that experience into his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991.
Although things didn't work out for Belichick in Cleveland, he continued on his coaching journey as an assistant before landing his defining role with New England in 2000. Those early Patriots' defenses under Belichick were frequently among the best in the NFL, leading New England to three Super Bowl titles in Belichick's first five years as coach.
The hoodie would go on to win three more Super Bowls in New England flanked by quarterback Tom Brady before his tenure with the Patriots came to an end following the 2023 season. While in New England, Belichick was a three-time Coach of the Year.
Members of the Coach Blue-Ribbon committee will meet Nov. 18 to discuss the nine semifinalists and will be tasked with choosing one individual for the Selection Committee's consideration when its ballots are cast for the class of 2026 early next year.