The North Carolina Tar Heels have hired former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl winner, as their head coach, the school announced Wednesday.
The contract is for five years, pending approval by the University’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors.
Belichick, 72, coached the Patriots from 2000 to 2023. He won Super Bowls after the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons before he and New England mutually parted ways in January.
Belichick is second on the NFL’s all-time coaching wins list, with 333. He also won two Super Bowls as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator after the 1987 and 1990 seasons.
“I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Belichick said in a statement. “I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times. I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill.”
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said the program is “excited to welcome him to Chapel Hill.”
“We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking,” he said in a statement. “Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win — today and in the future. At Carolina, we believe in providing championship opportunities and the best experience possible for our student-athletes, and Coach Belichick shares that commitment.”
The Tar Heels fired head coach Mack Brown on Nov. 26. Brown, who previously coached at North Carolina from 1988 to 1997, had led the team for the last six seasons. He had a 43-33 record during his second stint, winning one bowl game.
The Tar Heels have not won a conference championship since 1980 and last appeared in the ACC championship game in 2022.
Belichick has never coached in college. He began his career as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975, then spent two years with the Detroit Lions and one with the Denver Broncos.
The Giants hired Belichick as a special teams assistant in 1979 and promoted him to defensive coordinator in 1985. He won two championships under head coach Bill Parcells before he accepted the head coaching position with the Cleveland Browns in 1991.