Bill Belichick Now Open To Coaching Into His 70s
BOSTON (CBS) -- It sounds like Bill Belichick is calling an audible regarding his future. The coach once said he didn't plan on coaching into his 70s, but with that magical number just a few years away, the Hall of Famer now sounds open to doing so.
Belichick said back in the 2009 documentary "A Football Life: Bill Belichick" that he didn't want to follow in the footsteps of Marv Levy, the longtime Buffalo Bills coach who was 72 when he called it quits in 1997. (Levy later took over as GM of the Bills, a position he held until he was 80.) But Belichick changed his tune a bit when the topic was brought up during his Monday afternoon interview on WEEI.
"When I said it, maybe I didn't know what 70 felt like," Belichick told WEEI's Ordway, Merloni and Fauria. "So I'm not really sure if that's an accurate statement today or not. At the time, I didn't feel that way. Now that I'm closer to that age, I don't know."
Belichick, now 67, notched his 300th career victory on Sunday, joining Don Shula (347) and George Halas (324) in the illustrious 300 club. He could probably catch Halas' win total before his 70th birthday, but he'd likely have to coach a few seasons as a 70-year-old to reach Shula. Many already consider Belichick the greatest coach of all time, but sitting atop the wins list should help silence any doubters.
And while winning is all that matters to Belichick, he also has the added incentive of coaching with his two sons, Steve and Brian. Steve is now in his eighth season with the Patriots, serving as the team's safeties coach, while Brian is in his fourth season, currently as a coaching assistant.
