After five nominations, Bill Parcells will officially be getting the call back to Foxborough in 2025.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has selected the former head coach for induction into the franchise’s Hall of Fame as a contributor, it was announced Tuesday.
Parcells, 83, had previously been in the running during the 2011, 2012, 2014, 2020 and 2023 cycles. After inheriting a team that went 14-50 over the four seasons prior to his arrival as head coach, the Patriots proceeded to go 32-32 during the four seasons under his watch.
Two playoff berths were secured during the stay of Parcells, a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year whose initial stint in New England came as the linebackers coach on Ron Erhardt’s 1980 staff. And in 1996, so was an AFC East title that gave way to his side hosting the AFC Championship Game and earning earn a trip to Super Bowl XXXI — a 35-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“In the early 1990s, the Patriots were in disarray,” Kraft said in a statement. “But the hiring of Bill Parcells in 1993, a two-time Super Bowl champion, brought instant credibility to the franchise. We had never had a head coach with his credentials. He was a master motivator and always got the most out of his players. In my first season as owner, he led us on that unforgettable seven-game win streak to qualify for the playoffs. Two years later, he accomplished something Patriots fans had never seen before, leading us to our first two home playoff wins in franchise history, and another trip to the Super Bowl.
“Those are memories I will never forget and achievements worthy of this honor. As a five-time finalist for our hall of fame, I am sure he would have been voted in eventually, but I wanted to expedite the process so he can enjoy the ceremony. I look forward to welcoming Bill back to Foxborough and celebrating his induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.”
A member of the Patriots’ and NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team, Parcells was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. The Super Bowl XXI and XXV champion with the New York Giants departed for the New York Jets in 1997 and finished his coaching career with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 through 2006. He then served as the executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins from 2008 through 2010.
Parcells, the No. 89 overall pick in the 1964 draft out of Wichita State, stands as the only coach in league history to lead four different organizations to the postseason. He led three different organizations to conference title matchups.
The Patriots Hall of Fame nomination committee’s annual meeting is scheduled for Thursday.