Every sports pundit in America is going to have a take on the news today that Bill Belichick is about to become the new head coach of the University of North Carolina’s football team.
But I think that, if the six-time Super Bowl championship coach does take the job, he is going to be the head jewel in a wonderful collection of championship coaches. In offices down the hall from Belichick, you will find Jenny Levy, who is not only a championship-winning coach in women’s lacrosse, but the coach of the U.S. women’s national team.
Belichick will also have five-time field hockey national champion Erin Matson as a peer. Matson won four titles as a player, and a fifth as head coach. And, lest we forget, Damon Nahas, who won this year’s NCAA women’s soccer title at the first time of asking, took over for the legendary Anson Dorrance.
Belichick could also go outside over to the outer tennis courts and find a championship coach. Brian Kalbas, a nine-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association Coach of the Year, guided the women’s tennis team to the 2023 national championship.
Sure, each of these sports can be as different as chalk is from cheese when it comes to tactics and strategy. But there are commonalities that all coaches are going through, especially in these days of roster caps and name-image-likeness contracts.
But I think the learning curve for the legendary coach is going to be a bit more than he expects, and you know that a lot of the championship-winning coaches on campus are going to be leaned upon.
It’s a pretty good support system.
