Steve Belichick: All Things Steve Belichick
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Stephen N. Belichick
January 7, 1919 – November 19, 2005
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STEPHEN NICHOLAS BELICHICK
Born January 7, 1919 in Monessen, PA;
son of Ivan (John) and Mary Barkovic Bilicic, both of the Karlovac region of Croatia
EDUCATION
Struthers High School – Class of 1936
Played football (FB) under head coach Mike Koma
Member of the Struthers High School Hall of Fame
Western Reserve University – Class of 1941
Admitted on a football scholarship and played under head coach Bill Edwards;
also played basketball
Inducted into the Case Reserve Athletic Club Hall of Fame on Dec. 4,
1976
FOOTBALL
NFL – 1941
Hired by the Detroit Lions as an equipment manager under head coach Bill Edwards
(4-6-1);
helped coach, and played in six games:
Fullback, 5'8", 190 lbs.
Individual Stats
Rushing: 28-118, Avg. 4.2, TD 2, Long 11
Receiving: 1-13, TD 0
Fumbles: 0
INTs: 1-10, TD 0,
Punt Returns: 1-77, TD 1
Kickoff Returns: 1-36, TD 0
All-America Football Conference – 1946
Drafted by the New York Yankees (football) as a fullback but never
joined the team
MILITARY
Navy – 1942
After being drafted became an armed guard officer with an amphibious task force in the
Pacific; played football at the Great Lakes Naval Station
COACHING
Hiram College – 1946-1948
Coached football (8-12-2), men's basketball (24-29)
and
track
Vanderbilt University – 1949-1952
Coached the defensive backs under head coach Bill Edwards
University of North Carolina – 1953-1955
Assistant football coach under George Barclay
United States Naval Academy – 1956-1989
Assistant football coach & scout under the following head
coaches:
Eddie Erdelatz – 1950-1958 (50-26-8)
Wayne Hardin – 1959-1964 (38-22-2)
Bill Elias – 1965-1968 (15-22-3)
Rick Forzano – 1969-1972 (10-33-0)
George Welsh – 1973-1981 (55-46-1)
Gary Tranquill – 1982-1986 (20-34-1)
Elliott Uzelac – 1987-1989 (8-25-0)
Bowl Game appearances:
1957 Cotton Bowl, vs. Rice (W, 20-7)
1960 Orange Bowl, vs. Missouri (L, 21-14)
1963 Cotton Bowl, vs. Texas (L, 28-6)
1978 Holiday Bowl, vs. Brigham Young (W, 23-16)
1980 Garden State Bowl, vs. Houston (L, 35-0)
1981 Liberty Bowl, vs. Ohio State (L, 31-28)
Wins over Army: 17
TEACHING
United States Naval Academy
Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Education;
retired as a tenured associate professor |
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(Extensions of
Remarks) Speech of Hon. Martin T. Meehan of Massachusetts
in the House of Representatives
Steve Belichick (1919-2005): An
Authentic Coach and Father
17-Dec-2005, Congressional Record
"Steve Belichick had remained out of our sight until the camera
caught others showering him and son in victory. It is much the
same reason why Bill Belichick often deflects praise and
attention. It is simply not the Belichick way of doing things.
When Steve Belichick passed away on November 19, 2005 at the age
of 86, it was fitting that we remember him as reluctantly
tasting success. And it was fitting that he be with his son. It
can be said that a father always dreams of being less
accomplished than his own child, because there is no greater
accomplishment for any father. It is a lesson that Steve
Belichick has taught us well."
full transcript |
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Bill Belichick Radio Interview
28-Nov-2005, WEEI
"When he wrote [Football Scouting Methods] I was eight
years old, so I wasn't really too much a part of that. But what
he did, probably like any kid with their father, when he brought
work home, I was interested in it. And then he would do things
like, when he would give the scouting report to the team, I
would be able to come and tag along with him and sit there while
he gave the scouting report for the team that he had scouted to
the Midshipmen – Bellino and Staubach and all those guys. So that
was kind of cool to hang around. Then on Tuesday nights – the
Midshipmen are on a pretty tight schedule, so I think they had
an hour on Tuesday night and that's when they would come over
and watch film – he would get the
whole team in there. It was just him, and the team, and me. Then
he would put the projector on and go through the team and point
out things that they should be aware of, whether it was
formations or splits or stance or whatever. And so as he did
that I definitely started picking some things up."
full
transcript |
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Armen
Keteyian with Steve & Jeannette Belichick
27-Nov-2005, The NFL Today on CBS
"Steve Belichick: This is Amos
Alonzo Stagg, 1893. [He hands Armen the book] Now, he made great
contributions to the game of football. Armen Keteyian: Scientific and Practical
Treatise. 'With happy memories and best wishes to my friend Steve Belichick,
Paul E. Brown.' How many [books] do you have here, Steve, do you
think? Steve: I think I have around 500 total. Not all of them
are here – some of them are upstairs, some of them are in
boxes. I started collecting them in the late '50s and the early '60s. I
would go scout, and some of the towns had great bookstores. Used books. I would bring them home and they'd be sitting on the
table and [Bill] would pick
it up and look at it."
full
transcript |
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Remembering Steve Belichick
24-Nov-2005, PBS Online NewsHour
"Journalist and author David Halberstam discusses his new book
about the late Steve Belichick, a former assistant football
coach at the U.S. Naval Academy and father of New England
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick." A NewsHour with Jim
Lehrer Transcript, with Jeffrey Brown.
full
transcript |
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Dante Scarnecchia Press Conference
23-Nov-2005, New England Patriots
"I told the team a story about him yesterday and I'll share
it with you guys. We were out in training camp six years ago down at
Bryant [College]. It was about three weeks into it and the offense
hated the defense and the defense hated the offense. It was hot and
it was miserable. Coach [Steve] Belichick was out on the field with
us and kind of behind the huddle. We had just run a reverse and one
of the offensive players blew up a defensive player and they were
mad and [darned] if on the next play we threw an interception and
here came the defense roaring the down the field. It was ugly. It
looked like the Mongrel Horde coming at the offense and there were
bodies flying everywhere. Coach Belichick got right in the middle of
it and got blown up. His hat went one way. His glasses went another
way. It looked like a yard sale out there. On the ground was Coach
Belichick and I looked out there and I said, 'Holy [cow], he isn't
getting up. He's not getting up.' Typical of him, he jumped up and
said, 'You guys ain't so tough!' He put his hat back on and he was
fine. A great guy."
full
transcript |
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Scott Pioli on Steve Belichick during Patriots Monday on WEEI
21-Nov-2005, Boston.com
"The first road
scouting trip that I ever did, I was down seeing Syracuse play
the University of West Virginia in fabulous Morgantown, West
Virginia, and I get up to the press box and as I'm getting set
up – I'm there real early – I see the nametag in the seat next
to me in the press box – it says Steve Belichick. The one on the other side
it says Jeannette Belichick. So a couple minutes later, in comes
Steve Belichick and Jeanette, who I had gotten to know sometime
before, and it was unbelievable. It was right down to business.
Steve broke out his books, his pens, his paper, and Jeannette
broke out her markers and highlighters and they went right to
work. He's calling out names and she's circling them and
highlighting them. It was an unbelievable experience. My first
time out on the road, I was uptight as it was. Before you know
it, Steve and Jeannette are in there and they're working faster
than me. I had to pick up the pace a little bit."
full transcript |
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Bill Belichick Postgame Statement
20-Nov-2005, New England Patriots
"Personally, I coached this game with a heavy heart. My dad passed away. I found
out about it in the middle of last night. Obviously, he had a tremendous
influence on my life personally and, particularly in the football aspect, it was
great to be able to share some of the tremendous memories with him and some of
our recent successes, as I did when I was a kid and he was successful as a coach
at the Naval Academy and that program. Yesterday he did what he enjoyed doing,
he went and watched Navy play, watched them win. Some of his former players were
there. Had dinner and I spoke with them after the game. And like he normally
does Saturday night, sitting around watching college football. His heart just
stopped beating. So I'm sure that's the way he would have wanted it to end. He
went peacefully, which for him is unusual."
full audio+transcript |
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David Halberstam Radio Interview
02-Nov-2005, WEEI
"The book was going to be, 'How did you get to where you are, and
who taught you?' And I think the fact that so much of it would be
about his father, Steve Belichick – wonderful man, 33 years, great
coach. But no one knew his name. A lifer. Probably the best scout of
his generation. But his name had never been in print. If there's a
photograph of Steve Belichick in anything but maybe The Baltimore
Sun at a Navy game, I'd be surprised. And I think he saw it
possibly as an homage to his father."
full transcript |
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Bill Belichick Radio Interview
06-Dec-2004, WEEI
"I remember when I was a kid and my father was coaching at Navy. He
was a defensive coach – coached the secondary, coached the linebackers at different points during his
career there. I remember one game where I said that to him after the game – you
know, where I really thought the other team kind of ran it up on you. And he
said, as a defensive coach would say, 'You know what, it's our job to
keep the score down, not theirs. We're on defense. That's what our job is,
to keep them from scoring.' Having been a defensive coordinator, those words
have rung in my head many times. When they're moving the ball, when they're
scoring points, it's your job to stop them. Not their job to ... [Host: Stop
themselves.] Right, pull back."
transcript not available |
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EXCLUSIVE TO THIS WEBSITE
Excerpt from The Education of a Coach,
by David Halberstam
"Years later Bill Belichick
would understand what made his father so good a scout: the
absolute dedication to his craft, the belief that it was
important, and the fact that so many people
– the people who
paid his salary, his colleagues, and the young men who
played for him – were depending on him. But it was not just
about the superior work ethic; it was about the natural
abilities. Steve Belichick had been blessed with great
eyesight, 20/15, he was told. He had come to believe,
though no one had ever measured him on this, that he had
great peripheral vision, as well, because when he played
he had been able to see the play as it opened up, and the
dangers that existed for him on the periphery. He could
see clearly where other people had black areas. But it was
more than just a gift of exceptional vision; it was the
ability to use that vision, to be able, as a scout, to
anticipate the play and read it. No one did that better
than Steve Belichick."
full excerpt |
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Excerpt from The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam
Bill Belichick: The Making of a Coach
17-Oct-2005, Sports Illustrated
"When McGuire heard that the Belichicks were going to Navy, he
told Steve to do what his friend Ben Carnevale, the basketball coach there, had
done, which was to try and move up on a tenure track as a physical education
instructor in addition to coaching. This would protect him from the volatility
and uncertainty of the coach's life. Steve took the advice and became an
assistant professor and then a tenured associate professor. That gave him
something rare in the world of coaching, job security, and he ended up staying
at Navy for 33 years, under eight head coaches. Coaching at Annapolis, he said,
'was like dying and going to heaven.'"
full excerpt |
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Super Bowl Reporter Peter King Is Mr.
Access
02-Feb-2007, Market Watch
"When it comes to covering the Super Bowl, Peter King is
Mr. Access in Sports Illustrated and on television.
And he has the stories to tell, too. … When I asked King to tell me the name of the 'most
unforgettable' person he ever came across at a Super Bowl,
he cited someone who wasn't even on one of the rosters.
'Steve Belichick!' he said, referring to the late father of
New England Patriots' coach, Bill Belichick. 'After they won
their third one, I was in the Patriots' coaches' locker room
talking to Bill and Steve was there. Steve was so alive and
happy, having the time of his life.'"
full story |
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Full Speed Ahead For Belichick, Just A
Chip Off The Navy Block
21-Jan-2007, Baltimore Sun
"At Steve Belichick's funeral in November 2005,
former Mids captain Tom Lynch – who later served as school superintendent – told the gathered crowd of a
day when players were glued to TV reports of the Cuban
missile crisis. For Navy men, it looked like 'World War
III,' Lynch said, as Navy ships appeared headed for a
showdown with the Soviets. Somewhere in the background was
Steve Belichick, fuming and about to have a crisis of his
own. 'Smoke was coming out of his ears,' Lynch said that
day. 'And he said, 'Don't these people know we have Pitt
this weekend?''"
full story |
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Top 10 Out-Of-Print Books Of 2006
19-Dec-2006, The Book Standard
"Bookfinder.com, a website that facilitates
searches for and purchases of used, rare and out-of-print
books, has announced the Top 10 most sought-after
out-of-print books on the website in 2006. ... #2: Football
Scouting Methods (1963), Steve Belichick."
full story |
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Bill Belichick Gives Dad's Books To
Naval Academy
16-Oct-2006, The Capital
"Keeping the more than 400 books that one Belichick or
the other purchased over the years at the Naval Academy,
where he coached for 33 of the 50 years he was in Annapolis,
will help to perpetuate the memory of [Steve] Belichick, one
of the best liked, most revered and most knowledgeable
coaches the Navy football program has had. People talked
about Belichick stopping in every morning for a cup or two
of coffee and reading football news in the newspapers. They
talked about his extensive scouting reports and how he
delivered them. They talked about his devotion to the Naval
Academy. All of those things were reasons why his books
belonged at the academy."
full story |
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Belichick Book Collection
To Be
Preserved At The Naval Academy
12-Oct-2006, US Naval Academy
"Steve Belichick began collecting books on football in
the 1950s while scouting college football games. When traveling, Steve
would always arrive in town early so he had time to find a local bookstore
and see if he could make any new discoveries. Bill joined his father in
collecting books in the late 1970s and helped supplement his father's
collection. The book collection is one of the largest of its kind,
featuring over 400 books and several hundred more periodicals dating back
to the 1890s and including such historical works as Amos Alonzo Stagg's Practical Thesis in Football, Walter Camp's American Football and Bob Zuppke's Football Techniques & Tactics."
full story |
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Belichick's Dad Had Weis Pegged
26-Aug-2006, South Bend Tribune
"Before he died last year, Steve Belichick called an old friend
and coaching colleague to share a little inside information. Notre Dame
had hired Charlie Weis as its head football coach, and Belichick knew his
buddy, the alum, would want to know about the new guy.... The elder
Belichick, an anonymous career assistant coach, taught his son the
defensive principles that became the foundation of his reputation. 'Nobody
ever knew about him,' George Terlep said of Bill Belichick's old man, 'but
this guy was ... he was the sharpest defensive coach in my day, of
anybody.'"
full story |
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Belichick Award Scores At TD Banquet
17-Feb-2006, The Capital
"Something was different last night. There was a new award. And the
sudden bond forged between the late Steve Belichick, for whom
the award is named, and George Belt Jr., the first recipient of
the award, simply knocked the socks off the huge crowd that
filled the Annapolis Radisson Hotel ballroom.... Naming the
award for Belichick after the long time Naval Academy assistant
coach passed away in November of 2005 paid homage to an
Annapolis resident who was deeply involved in sports without
seeking a spotlight for his achievements."
full story |
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Touchdown Club: Belt will be honored
with first Belichick award
14-Feb-2006, The Capital
"Thursday night at the 52nd annual Touchdown Club of
Annapolis football awards banquet ... Touchdown Club president
Rick Dion will announce the establishment of the Steve Belichick
Coaches' Award, which will perpetuate the memory of the longtime
Navy assistant who died this past fall. [George] Belt,
recreation leader at the Stanton Community Center since 1980,
will be the inaugural recipient. Bill Belichick, head coach of
the New England Patriots, will be on hand to fete his father and
recognize Belt on what figures to be an emotional night."
full
story |
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Nothing Could Have Prepared Him
14-Jan-2006, Boston Globe
"The teachings of Steve Belichick have clearly never left
his son, who learned to identify the nuances of the game by
accompanying his father to work. Steve Belichick believed you
should not draw attention to yourself. When you lose, you should
not single out individuals. His son dutifully implemented that
philosophy, which he absorbed as a young man growing up on the
campus of the Naval Academy."
full
story |
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Film Captures Father's Glory: Belichick
revisits NFL in '41
24-Dec-2005, Boston Globe
"Bill Belichick may be the best at what he does in the 21st-century
NFL, but there is a certain twinkle in his eye reserved for the
leather-helmet days of the old National Football League. Leather helmets
like the circa 1940s one the Patriots coach whipped out yesterday to
show the small media contingent gathered for his final press conference
before Monday night's game against the Jets. Besides the old helmet,
Belichick had with him a pair of roughed-up, high-top Spot-Bilt shoes
that his father Steve wore in his playing days. Perhaps they were the
ones the elder Belichick was wearing when he ripped off a 77-yard punt
return for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers Oct. 26, 1941. It
was the lone score that day for the Detroit Lions in a 24-7 loss, and it
came in the first professional game for Steve Belichick, in his only
season in the NFL."
full story | video clip (fast forward to 5:31.8) |
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Scorecard: For the Record
28-Nov-2005, Sports Illustrated
"Died of heart failure at age 86, Steve Belichick, father
of Patriots coach Bill Belichick. During his 33 years as an
assistant coach at Navy, the elder Belichick helped groom two
Heisman Trophy winners and led the Midshipmen to six bowl games.
His son has said he learned his meticulous coaching style by
watching his father, and in recent years Steve was a fixture at
Patriots games and practices."
full
story |
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Coach Strengthened Academy, Community
25-Nov-2005, The Capital
"Look at any great institution and you'll find formidable
people who spent decades giving lavishly of their skills, their
effort and their love. That's where such institutions get their
strength. For Naval Academy football, one of those people – perhaps the first who came to mind
– was Steve Belichick, who gave
nearly half a century to this community. An assistant coach and
associate professor for 33 years, from 1956 to 1989, he remained
an almost daily presence at
Ricketts Hall and an unofficial
consultant up to the day of his death last Saturday, at age 86."
full
story |
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A Final Navy Salute
24-Nov-2005, Baltimore Sun
"Steve Belichick, the longtime Navy assistant football coach
and scout extraordinaire, was remembered during funeral services at
the Naval Academy Chapel as flinty tough, indefatigable and
fair-minded, not only by his successful son, but also by his former
players and fellow coaches. 'Steve knew football inside and out,
plus he cared about you as a person,' said former Navy and Detroit
Lions coach Rick Forzano. 'He was recognized around the country for
his expertise, and he had many coaching opportunities. They were
presented to him just about every year. But Steve wanted to be in
just one place, the United States Naval Academy.'"
full story |
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Given Proper Naval Sendoff
24-Nov-2005, Boston Globe
"It was the day before Thanksgiving and approximately 200
people gathered to say goodbye to the 86-year-old father of the
New England Patriots coach.... The college chaplain spoke of all
the lives Steve Belichick had touched. Former player Tom Lynch
said Steve will always be God's football coach, and delivered a
message from Heisman winner Roger Staubach ('Steve was our rock.
He was our integrity.'). Former Navy coach Rick Forzano, a
friend for 46 years, looked at Steve's widow and said, 'You are
a champion to coaches' wives.'"
full story |
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Coaching Legend Steve Belichick's
Funeral Draws Football Greats
24-Nov-2005, The Capital
"Football greats turned out yesterday to say farewell to
former Naval Academy assistant coach Steve Belichick. The eulogy
by his only child, New England Patriots head coach Bill
Belichick, gave the 200 in attendance at the Naval Academy
Chapel snippets from a life dedicated to football and teaching."
full story |
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Naval Academy Holds Belichick Funeral
23-Nov-2005, Associated Press
"Those in attendance at Steve Belichick's funeral Wednesday
spoke repeatedly of his three loves: his family, football and
the United States Naval Academy....'He had three great loves in
his life: football, his family and this school, and he was fully
committed and attentive to each every day of his life,' said
former Naval Academy superintendent Tom Lynch. 'I was one of
thousands of midshipmen to pass through this man's life ... It
was only many years later when reflecting on the values,
commitment and genuine concern Steve expressed for each of us,
that I began to realize and appreciate the impact he had on our
lives."
full story |
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A Coach's Son
23-Nov-2005, USA TODAY
"Patriots coach Bill Belichick's father, Steve, who died
Saturday at 86, wouldn't have traded his 33 years as a former
assistant coach at the Naval Academy. Steve Belichick had a
chance to be an NFL assistant with the Baltimore Colts. But
Belichick turned down the higher-profile opportunity to remain
home in Annapolis, Md., to coach at the Naval Academy from 1956
to 1989 and to raise his young son, Bill. He never regretted the
choice."
full story (scroll down) |
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A Full Life Of Football, Till The Very End
22-Nov-2005, by David Halberstam, Special to The Washington Post
"There was, as the clock was running down in the final seconds
of the Super Bowl this year and the New England Patriots were about
to win their third NFL title in four years, a wonderful scene that
might easily have been scripted in Hollywood. An older man, 86 years
old to be exact, who always stayed in the background whenever there
were television cameras around, moved from his spot on the sideline
to be with his son, Bill Belichick, the coach of the Patriots, in
that final sweet moment of triumph, arriving there just in time for
the traditional Gatorade bath. And thus did Steve Belichick, a
classic lifer as a coach, 33 years as an assistant coach at the U.S.
Naval Academy, who coached and scouted because he loved the life and
needed no additional fame (and in fact, much like his son, thought
fame more of a burden than an asset), get his one great moment of
true national celebrity, the two men – son and father – awash in the ritual
bath of the victorious."
full story |
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Ex-Navy Man Bellino Lauds Steve And
Bill For Their Love Of The Game
22-Nov-2005, Patriot Ledger
"'Just recently, Friday as a matter of fact, (someone) had
brought a copy of 'The Education of a Coach' (David Halberstam's
Bill Belichick biography) to me,' Bellino said. 'And I was
reading in the forward about the attributes that Bill has. I
sort of chuckled because that's exactly what his father was – (a man of) intelligence,
dedication, preparedness, and a no-nonsense attitude toward
playing the game of football. There's only one way to play and
that is to win. No favoritism; the best players get out there
and play.'"
full story |
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'Football Guy' To The End
22-Nov-2005, Boston Herald
"Belichick was remembered yesterday with many of the same words
used to describe his famous son – disciplined, loyal, brilliant,
exacting. When the elder Belichick made friends, he made them
for life. Former Navy coach Rick Forzano met Belichick in 1959
and the two remained close to the end. Iowa football coach Kirk
Ferentz could go a year without seeing him, then spend an hour
talking punt returns. Patriots personnel czar Scott Pioli
treasures the time they spent clamming and quahogging on
Nantucket. 'He just looked like a tough guy,' said former Navy
quarterback Roger Staubach from his Dallas office. 'He looked
like a boxer, but nice as can be. And when you knew him, you
wanted him on your side. You wanted him in your foxhole.'"
full story |
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The Steve Belichick Scholarship Fund
21-Nov-2005, Navy Sports
"In lieu of flowers, the Belichick family has asked that donations be
made in Steve Belichick's memory to the Steve Belichick
Scholarship Fund, established to reward outstanding
student-athletes at Steve Belichick's alma mater, Struthers High
School in Struthers, Ohio. The grant will provide opportunities
to college candidates in the same way that a scholarship enabled
Steve Belichick to attend college at Western Reserve. Donations
can be sent to: Steve Belichick Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 715,
Foxborough MA 02035."
full story |
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Steve Belichick, Coach Who Wrote The Book
On Scouting, Dies At 86
21-Nov-2005, New York Times
"Stephen Nickolas Belichick was born in 1919 in Monessen, Pa., and he
grew up in Struthers, Ohio. After graduating from Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland in 1941, he wanted to become a
high school coach, but he faced the prospect of military
service. He got a job as an equipment man for the Detroit Lions
of the National Football League. There was no salary, but each
player put a dollar a week into a pool to pay him."
full story |
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Steve Belichick: Coach Among Coaches
21-Nov-2005, The Capital
"Annapolis lost a treasure this weekend. Steve Belichick died. The former
Naval Academy assistant football coach had, in recent years, taken great
pride in being known as Bill Belichick's father. When your son wins Super
Bowls and becomes an icon in the business you taught him, there is great
reason for that feeling. Steve Belichick was an icon in his own right.
Bill Belichick's ability to understand and master the intricacies of the
game of football didn't come from the clear blue sky. Long before Bill
Belichick became known as a coaching genius, Steve Belichick had made his
reputation as an outstanding coach and a super scout."
full story |
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Belichick Learned Well From Dad
21-Nov-2005, Boston Globe
"Steve Belichick was 86. As much as any man could, he had lived the
life he wished to live. His son is also a football man – specifically a professional football man
– and yesterday
afternoon he did what professional football men do. He directed
his team to a 24-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints. His
players were not aware that their coach had done his duty with
what he would later describe as 'a heavy heart.' 'None of us had
a clue,' said Adam Vinatieri. 'He kept it inside. He didn't let
it distract him.' That Bill Belichick would be stoic in a moment
of personal sorrow comes as no shock. The coach is legendary for
his ability to compartmentalize his life. Coaching a football
game is the best possible way for Belichick to honor his father.
Anyone who knows even the slightest thing about them is aware
that a love of football was their great bond."
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Former Navy Assistant Steve Belichick Dies
At 86
21-Nov-2005, Washington Post
"Steve Belichick, a former Navy assistant football coach and father
of New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, died of heart
failure Saturday night at his Annapolis home. He was 86. Steve
Belichick worked at the Naval Academy from 1956 to 1989, during
which Navy played in six bowl games and featured Heisman Trophy
winners Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach. Navy won nine games four
times and finished with 14 winning seasons during his tenure.
Belichick spent Saturday afternoon in the press box at
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium mingling with Navy athletic
personnel while watching Navy's 38-17 victory over Temple."
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Peter King's Monday Morning QB: Ten Things I
Think I Think
21-Nov-2005, SI.com
"I think the world's going to miss Bill Belichick's old man.
When I drove down to Maryland 18 months ago to research an SI
story on Bill Belichick, Steve taught me the meaning of kindness
and helpfulness. He spent the day with me, touring me around the
Naval Academy, showing me the room where he first took young
Billy to watch game film with the team, where the team practiced
and other landmarks that had significance in Bill's life. Then
he took me to his house. Just a friendly, slightly acerbic but
wonderfully accommodating man. In the locker room after the
third Super Bowl win last winter, he came looking for me, and we
just talked for 10 minutes about the meaning of the win and
about what a great coach he'd raised. I think he blushed when I
told him that, but it's true: Without Steve Belichick's dogged
love of football and scouting, there would be no Bill Belichick.
I read where Bill said after the Patriots game it was a good way
for his father to go – after going to a Navy game, eating
dinner, and watching football on TV. A very good man. I'm glad I
got to know him a little bit."
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Morning After Week 11: Father and Son Story
21-Nov-2005, ESPN.com
"Condolences to New England coach Bill Belichick, a man I've
long considered a good friend, on the recent passing of his father. I
first met Steve Belichick – who died Saturday at age 86 following a long
and storied career as an assistant coach at the Naval Academy – in the
week preceding Super Bowl XXXI at New Orleans in 1997. At that time, Bill
Belichick was the defensive coordinator for the Patriots, with Bill
Parcells as head coach, and I was assigned to serve as 'pool reporter' for
the New England practices. Translation: I was the lone scribe permitted to
watch practice and I then filed a pool report for everyone else after the
sessions. Bill made it a point to introduce me to his father, a very proud
dad, and I spent time chatting it up pretty good with Steve Belichick on
the sidelines as the practices took place at Tulane University."
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Steve Belichick, Legendary Figure At
Academy, Dies
21-Nov-2005, The Capital
"Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk was among those who spoke with
Mr. Belichick on Saturday and said he was 'sickened' to hear of
his passing. 'The Naval Academy suffered a great loss today with
the passing of Steve Belichick,' Mr. Gladchuk said in a prepared
statement. 'He has been a part of the fabric of this institution
for 50 years and touched the lives of thousands of Midshipmen.'
Contacted at home last night, Mr. Gladchuk recalled the almost
daily sight of Mr. Belichick drinking coffee and reading the
newspaper in Ricketts Hall. 'Steve was such a constant presence
around the office it seemed as though he was part of the staff,'
Mr. Gladchuk said. 'To be around Steve was always fascinating
because he knew so much about the history and tradition of this
institution, and particularly Navy football.'"
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Belichick Stays Strong: Tackles Dad's
Death Head-On
21-Nov-2005, Boston Herald
"'They were uncommonly close,' Halberstam said from his New York home
last night. 'Bill emulated him by going into coaching, and that
is the highest form of love and admiration you can have. I know
Bill got resonance from having Steve around, and I know Steve
gloried in the success of his son. It made (Steve) more
avuncular, it made him more fun. It enriched his life
tremendously at the end.' Halberstam said that Steve Belichick
passed away while watching USC play Fresno State, which is
coached by Belichick disciple Pat Hill. Earlier in the day, the
elder Belichick had attended the Navy-Temple game. Bill
Belichick must have questioned whether he should work yesterday,
but there's no question what his father would have wanted.
Football coaches coach. It's the Belichick way."
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Steve Belichick, 86, Was A Coach's Coach
21-Nov-2005, Providence Journal
"Widely recognized as the best and most diligent advance scout
of his era, Steve Belichick was plainspoken and blunt. He was a kind
of football oracle for those who covered the team because he gave
insight into the game and evaluations of players with readiness. He
– like his son – was not a big proponent of hype, however. Once,
when he heard the word 'genius' attached to his son's name, he fixed
his gaze on the person with whom he was speaking and said, 'You are
talking about someone who walks up and down a football field.'"
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Even In His Darkest Hours, Belichick's Brilliance Shines
21-Nov-2005, Providence Journal
"There never was any thought that Bill Belichick wouldn't be on
the sidelines with his team Sunday afternoon. People would have
understood if Belichick had decided to fly to Annapolis Sunday
morning. But those people don't understand what makes Belichick
tick. As [Tedy] Bruschi said: 'His father would have wanted him to get the
victory first.' 'Coach Belichick and his dad were very close,'
[veteran linebacker Don] Davis
said. 'That's the reason he's coaching.' Bill Belichick's coaching
is the reason the Patriots have three Lombardi trophies. 'I'd always
thought players won games,' Pats punter Josh Miller said yesterday.
'Until I came here. This was an unbelievable awakening. This staff
brings out the best in you.'"
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Steve Belichick, 86: Was Scout for Football
& Father of Patriots' Coach
21-Nov-2005, Associated Press
"Steve Belichick, an influential college football scout for
decades and the father of New England Patriots head coach
Bill Belichick, died Saturday night of heart failure. He
was 86. 'I coached this game with a heavy heart,' Bill Belichick
said after yesterday's 24-17 win over the New Orleans
Saints. 'I found out about it the middle of last night.'
The Patriots' coach learned his meticulous game
preparation by watching his father, an assistant coach at
Navy for 33 years. 'Obviously, he had a tremendous influence on my life
personally, and particularly in the football aspect,' Bill
Belichick said. 'It was great to be able to share the
tremendous memories with him and some of our recent
successes.'"
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Patriots 24, Saints 17
21-Nov-2005, Associated Press
"Bill Belichick showed how focused he can be when there's a
game to win. Hours after his father died, Belichick led his New
England Patriots into Sunday's 24-17 victory over the New Orleans
Saints. His sideline demeanor hadn't changed. His players didn't
know. And his sights for those three-plus hours were zeroed in on
his usual goal – winning."
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Navy Coaching Legend Steve Belichick Dies
At The Age Of 86
20-Nov-2005,
Navy Sports
"'The Naval Academy suffered a great loss today with the
passing of Steve Belichick,' said Naval Academy Director of
Athletics Chet Gladchuk. 'He has been a part of the fabric of this
institution for 50 years and has touched the lives of thousands of
Midshipmen, staff, alumni and friends. We will miss his daily visits
to Ricketts Hall where we got a chance to learn so much about the
history and traditions of this institution through Steve. He never
lost his love of the Academy and you could sense it every time you
were with him. Today we've all lost a great friend and mentor.'"
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Thorough Halberstam Checks Under the Hood
08-Nov-2005, Boston Globe
"Halberstam's admittance into the inner circle has resulted in
a must-read for not only Patriots fans but any reader of biographies. It
is a collaboration of two formidable intellects, each of whom is able to
focus his mental capacities at full wattage on a single subject. 'At its
core, the book is the examination of one man's intelligence and the
application of it,' said Halberstam. 'There are a lot of smart people who
spend all their time spinning their wheels. It was because of his father
that Bill learned he can pragmatically have such a singular concentration
on football.'"
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Humble Road Led To Belichick's Dynasty
04-Feb-2005, Washington Post
"'I made [Bill] a center because he couldn't run,' Steve
Belichick said. 'He could get in people's way, and that was his best position.
One day Bill said to me his coach didn't really have the right blocking scheme
for the defense they were playing, what should he do? I told him to tell him,
'Coach, it might look like this from the sideline, but this guy is on me, that
guy is on the guard and the other guy is on the tackle, and we should block it
this other way.''"
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Belichick's Dad
Coached At Vanderbilt University
02-Feb-2005, Nashville City
Paper
"Steve Belichick got a job on coach Paul Brown's staff with the Cleveland
Browns in the late 1940s after being introduced to Brown by Edwards, whom
Belichick knew from his home near Massilon, Ohio. When Edwards got the head
coaching job at Vanderbilt in 1949, Belichick went with him. Bill was born in
Nashville three years later. When Bill was four in 1956, his father joined the
Naval Academy staff and remained there until 1988."
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For Belichick,
Father Truly Knew Best
28-Jan-2005, Washington
Post
"Belichick's football education...had a simple beginning: He just wanted to
spend more time with his father. 'He wanted to be with me, and I wanted to be
with him,' said Steve, who, with Jeannette, will journey to the Super Bowl to be
with Bill, just as they always have. '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.'"
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Dad Taught
Belichick to Run a Tight Ship
26-Jan-2005, Boston Globe
"The dad of the coach was a coach. More than most, he can appreciate what
he's been watching almost every Sunday of the NFL season for the last few years.
'This is what you strive for,' said 86-year-old Steve Belichick, who retired in
1989 after 33 years of scouting and assistant coaching at the Naval Academy.
'That's what you've got when you have everybody on the same page, with the same
objective, and they don't care who gets the credit.'"
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Steve Belichick
Says Son Hasn't Changed
02-Jan-2005, Canton
Repository
"Brightly colored streamers flowed from the tall ceiling. The front part of the
enormous room was filled with people listening to a man on a stage. An old man
who looked slightly like some pictures of George Halas stood in the back half of
the room, near the coffee and almond bran muffins. It was Steve Belichick. He
wasn't listening to the man on the stage. He was defending him."
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Johnson Rights Navy's Ship
14-Oct-2004, CBS SportsLine.com
"Belichick was hooked that moment almost 50 years ago, when the
Naval Academy's grim-faced, buzz-cut, finely trained human missiles
hit the practice field – and then hit
opponents. 'Guys that were 165 pounds would hit a 200-pounder like
he was a 125-pounder,' said the father of New England Patriots coach
Bill Belichick. 'I'd never experienced that.'"
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Master And Commander
09-Aug-2004, Sports Illustrated
"Even at age nine, Bill Belichick had football on the brain. He
was devoted to his father, a longtime assistant coach and scout at Navy.
Son joined Dad whenever he could. If Steve had to drive to the Baltimore
airport to pick up films on that week's opponent, Bill rode with him. Once
home, Bill not only watched the films but also saw how his father
diagrammed plays. When Bill was nine or 10, he tagged along to the weekly
Monday-night meeting, at which players were given the scouting report for
the next game."
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More
Than A Coach
25-Jan-2004, Eagle-Tribune
"Steve, a defensive assistant and pre-eminent scout, was offered a
job as an assistant coach in the NFL with Weeb Eubanks and the Baltimore
Colts, as well as Hank Stram and the Kansas City Chiefs at different
points in his career.
He told both of them no. 'Back then they played six preseason games,'
said Steve. 'That would have meant I was away the entire summer at
training camp. There was no way I was going to be away from my family
that long. I wanted to be around Bill, especially when he was growing
up. That meant too much to me.'"
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Invincibility Of Belichick Enhanced By His Invisibility
19-Jan-2004, USA TODAY
"Paul Brown, now there was a football coach. Best football coach of
all time, Steve Belichick will tell you. They would play golf together,
and Belichick would attend all the camps Brown ran after the war was
finally won. 'But as great as Paul was,' Belichick said, 'I don't think
he ever walked into a room and took it over.'"
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Man Behind The Scenes Never Seen
09-Jan-2004, Boston Globe
"[His wife] was the one who told Steve to rewrite his book on
football scouting because it contained too much technical language. He
initially disagreed and then conceded she was right.... 'I'm telling
you, I'm No. 3 in our family when it comes to brains,' Steve Belichick
said. 'And I'm a distant third. My wife and son are kicking dust in my
face. I used to be able to say I was No. 1 in football, but I can't even
say that anymore.'"
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Preparation Leads Belichick To Top
22-Dec-2003, Pro Football Weekly
"Passing judgment on [Bill] Belichick based on popular opinion
skips Step 1 in the Steve Belichick Guide to Making Your Own Decisions:
Go straight to the facts. 'They made him out to be the village idiot in
Cleveland,' Steve Belichick said, adding that the Browns' 11-win season
in 1994 was a miracle of a coaching job. 'That's the way it is. When you
win, you are really smart. If you lose, you aren't.'"
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A Salute To Veterans
15-Nov-2003, Pro
Football Hall of Fame
"The Pro Football Hall of Fame paid tribute to the men and women
who served their country as members of the armed forces with its third
annual Salute to Veterans observance Saturday (Nov. 15).... A special Salute to Veterans
program was conducted in the Hall's NFL Films Theater. The program
featured former Naval Academy football coach and World War II veteran,
Steve Belichick."
full story + photos |
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Change In Game Plan
02-Feb-2002, Bengals.com
"They are calling Steve Belichick's son a defensive genius
this week. But when someone compared his genius to
three-time Super Bowl champion Bill Walsh's offensive
magna cum laude, Steve Belichick bristled. 'You know where
Bill Walsh got that West Coast offense? Paul Brown,' Steve
Belichick said. 'It should be called the Ohio River
offense or the Lake Erie offense. He admitted that at a
coaches' convention in Dallas. Hells bells. (Brown's)
contributions are great... The NFL should erect a damn
monument to him.'"
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Father Knows (Belichick) Best
01-Feb-2002, Boston Globe
"For more than 30 minutes, the senior Belichick freely
discussed a wide range of subjects, appearing to enjoy
himself as he held court with many of the reporters who
say his son is either a stuffed shirt, an SOB, or, at
best, a difficult guy to get to know. Whatever the
perception, Steve Belichick made it clear no one should
doubt his son's work ethic or his vision for achieving
what he sets out to do."
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Belichicks Follow Paternal Instinct
01-Feb-2002, Boston Herald
"He was the chief scout for the Midshipmen, a
position of more importance in the pre-film exchange era.
'I remember,' said Bill Belichick, 'that my dad would go
out to the airport to pick up the Pitt film, say, on a
Sunday night. And you'd learn it wasn't sent, or sent to
the wrong airport. So I was incredibly impressed by my
father's ability to go to a game and write down, not just
the substitutions, but diagram the play, in time for the
next play.'"
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Coaching
Out Of The Blocks
30-Jan-2002,
Washington Post
"Steve's job at Navy for years was unusual, even in the coaching ranks. He
was the advance scout for most games, which meant he only saw Navy play
its season finale against Army and in subsequent bowl games. And Bill saw
up close the toll that commitment to coaching takes – Steve saw
only one of Bill's high school games. To make up for the absences, Steve
frequently took Bill along on scouting trips."
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Moment In The Sun
23-Dec-2001, Boston Herald
"The old man caught the eyes of the young man first. Or was it the other
way around? 'It was simultaneous,' said the older man. 'He saw me coming,
I saw him coming. We hugged.' Father and son. Steve and Bill Belichick."
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story |
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Belichick's
Dad Knows Best
06-Jan-2000, New York Post
"Steve Belichick did not talk to his son yesterday. He said that some
people in the Jets organization really don't understand his son,
specifically club president Steve Gutman, who on Tuesday said that
Bill Belichick was going through 'inner turmoil.'
'When Steve Gutman made that remark he showed he doesn't really know
how to judge people,' the elder Belichick said. 'I guarantee you one
thing: Bill has analyzed the situation and will do what is best for
him and his family.'"
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story |
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The
Man Behind The Mask
18-Dec-1994,
Akron Beacon Journal
"'At the start of his senior year, I didn't know what Bill planned
to do after college,' Steve Belichick said. 'He did so well in his
business courses, that Procter & Gamble twice visited him on campus
trying to recruit him for its management-trainee program. It was
during his second semester that Bill told me that he wanted to
coach. I wasn't surprised, given how he grew up. But I never even
suggested that he think about coaching. It was a decision he made on
his own.'"
full
story |
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Belichick Family History
Croatian Chronicle
"Ivan Belicic and Mary Barkovic had 1 daughter
and 4 boys. Stephen 'Steve' was son #3.... He belongs to CFU and his
nieces visited Karlovac and relatives in villages of Draganic,
Lazanic and Barkovic. They associated with other Croats in
Pennsylvania and Ohio and relatives go by names of Yurcich, Buyan/Boyan
and Brigich."
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