Nantucket High Athletic Director makes his pitch to Bill Belichick to become school's next football coach

BOSTON -- With all the head coaching vacancies in the NFL filled, Bill Belichick is on a bit of an island. For the first time in 50 years, it looks like the future Hall of Famer won't be coaching in the NFL.

So could he potentially take a job on his favorite island? There is one available, and the folks of Nantucket would love to have the future Hall of Famer. 

While Belichick may be out of a job at the professional level after parting ways with the Patriots, it just so happens that Nantucket High School is looking to fill its head coaching vacancy. And it's pretty well known that Belichick frequents -- and loves -- the "Little Grey Lady of the Sea."

Nantucket Athletic Director Travis Lombardi is currently going through the hiring process to find a new head coach for the Whalers. At the moment, Belichick has not been one of the candidates that he's spoken to through two rounds of interviews.

But the door is always open for one of the island's most famous part-time residents.

"If Mr. Bill Belichick knocks on my door in the next few days, I think we're gonna have to keep the process going," Lombardi told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Friday. "He is obviously the best to ever do it."

Nantucket football already has its own coaching legend in Vito Capizzo, who won 293 games over his 45 years with the Whalers. Belichick was an admirer of the late Capizzo and addressed the Nantucket football team several times in the past.

"He brought a sense of discipline, commitment, hard work and really evolved those three things over his time here on Nantucket," Lombardi said of Capizzo, who retired in 2009. "I know that Bill knows what Nantucket football was all about."

Lombardi would love to add to Nantucket's football history and give Belichick a branch on the school's coaching tree.

"Everyone that is a fan of Belichick knows that he is a teacher of the game. He is absolutely the best to ever do it. Would it be a little different, teaching kids at the high school level? Absolutely. One extreme to the next," said Lombardi. "But I think it would be a pretty cool experience for our kids, our community, our coaching staff, to be able to coach and learn under Coach Belichick."

While Belichick hasn't expressed interest in the position, folks on the island have floated the former Patriots head coach as a potential replacement to Lombardi. He said that he usually gets a text every few hours suggesting the man who won six Super Bowls as head coach of the Patriots (and two others as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants).

"It's fun to talk about and it could become a reality. But the likelihood is probably slim to none," Lombardi said with a laugh. "My job would be flipped upside down so maybe the school would have to up my salary too."

Lombardi isn't sure what it would take to bring Belichick aboard in terms of compensation, but he has a few ideas in mind. Perhaps a nice spot for Belichick's boat -- named VIII Rings -- would be a good starting point.

"I do have some connections down at the harbor masters, so we could probably work out a deal to get a slip down there. But I could give him this hoodie," Lombardi said of his Nantucket Football sweatshirt -- complete with cut-off sleeves. "It looks good on me but I think it would look a lot better on him."