Bill Belichick and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Thursday that they’d mutually agreed to part ways after a remarkable six-title run.
Belichick was a successful assistant coach and had a five-season stint in charge of the Cleveland Browns before leading New England to unprecedented success.
1979: He started a 12-year run working for the New York Giants, most notably under Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. He was the defensive coordinator when Big Blue won the Super Bowls of 1987 and 1991.
1991-95: His five-season run as head coach of the Cleveland Browns was up and down, going 36-44, with one good playoff run. He guided the wild-card Browns to the AFC semifinals before losing, 29-9, to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 7, 1995.
Feb. 14, 1996: The Browns fired Belichick.
1996: After his termination in Cleveland, Belichick reunited with Parcells, now the head man in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and they led New England to the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers, led by QB Brett Favre, won that game on Jan. 26, 1997.
1997-1999: Parcells moved on to become head coach of the New York Jets, bringing Belichick along as his top assistant. The Jets came within one win of making it to the Super Bowl, falling 23-10, to John Elway and the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game on Jan. 17, 1999.
Jan. 4, 2000: After Parcells stepped down, Belichick was set to take over in New York and the team scheduled a press conference to introduce the newly promoted head coach. Instead, in one of the most famous resignations in pro football history, Belichick scribbled “I resign as HC of the NYJ” on a napkin, and explained at that press conference why he wasn’t taking the job.
Jan. 27, 2000: The New England Patriots hired Belichick as their head coach. The Pats went 5-11 in his first season.
April 16, 2000: Tom Brady was picked by the Patriots in the sixth round of the NFL draft. He was the 199th player selected overall.
Sept. 23, 2001: New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis delivered…
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