Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is closer to becoming a Hall of Famer. While he is still active with the North Carolina Tar Heels, Belichick could be immortalized soon.
Josh Dubow of the Associated Press shared on Tuesday that Belichick is one of 12 coaching candidates to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 2026.
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Bill Belichick is one of the final 12 coaching candidates for Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The others:
Bill Arnsparger
Tom Coughlin
Alex Gibbs
Mike Holmgren
Chuck Knox
Buddy Parker
Dan Reeves
Marty Schottenheimer
George Seifert
Mike Shanahan
Clark Shaughnessy
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 21, 2025
Other candidates include Marty Schottenheimer, father of the current Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Brian Schottenheimer; Mike Shanahan, father of San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan; and Tom Coughlin, who beat Belichick in the Super Bowl twice, among others.
One coach will emerge from the 12-man group to join the Hall of Fame next year.
Belichick spent six years as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator (1985-1990) before becoming the Cleveland Browns head coach for five more years (1991-1995). After three seasons as the New York Jets defensive coordinator, Belichick joined the New England Patriots in 2000.
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He created one of the biggest dynasties in NFL history alongside Tom Brady, going to nine Super Bowls and winning six.
The 73-year-old coach amassed 333 games during his NFL career. He is the second-winningest coach in league history (including playoffs), only trailing Don Shula (347 total wins).
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After a 24-year stint with the Patriots, Belichick took a year off. He returned to coaching this year as the leader of the Tar Heels. He is off to a rough start with the ACC program, posting a 2-4 record in the first six games.
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