ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots arrives prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
The biggest news in the football world on Wednesday was Bill Belichick’s decision to become the head coach at the University of North Carolina after taking this season off and making the rounds on a number of media outlets.
While he is mostly remembered for coaching Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, his first head coaching job came with the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995.
Interestingly, a current Browns coaching staff member — Tommy Rees, their passing game specialist and tight ends coach — was the favorite to get the Tar Heels job had Belichick said no, per Adam Schefter.
Had talks between Bill Belichick and North Carolina broken down, Browns passing game specialist and tight ends coach Tommy Rees was considered the favorite to land the Tarheels head coaching job, per league sources. Rees interviewed for the NC HC job twice, and had Nick Saban as…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2024
Rees, who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Illinois, was once a star quarterback in high school, and he later became a starting QB at the University of Notre Dame, where he threw for 2,938 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior in 2013.
He then became an assistant coach for Notre Dame, Northwestern University, the University of Alabama and the then-San Diego Chargers before he joined Cleveland in February.
Family ties may have been a factor in Belichick taking the Tar Heels job — his father Steve coached them from 1953 to 1955.
The younger Belichick’s tenure as the Browns’ head coach was mostly forgettable — in his five years with them, he guided them to a winning record and a playoff berth just once, and it is something that people use to attack his resume by alleging he’s a lackluster coach without the legendary Brady.
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