One day after Pete Caroll said goodbye as coach of the Seattle Seahawks, the most successful marriage between a club and a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) has come to an end. According to US broadcaster ESPN, the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick agreed to end their collaboration after 24 years.
Belichick – with the strong help of quarterback Tom Brady, who finally retired last year – transformed the Patriots into the top address in the league. With six Super Bowl wins in eight Finals appearances, New England equaled the Pittsburgh Steelers’ record.
The Patriots also won 30 play-off games under Belichick – a lone NFL record. With a total of 296 wins with New England, the 71-year-old is number two on the all-time list of successes with a team. Only the legendary George Halas, owner and coach of the Chicago Bears for 40 years, has more with 324. In total, Belichick, previously head coach of the Cleveland Browns, has 333 wins.
Coaching era in Seattle over
On Wednesday, after 14 seasons and a Super Bowl victory at the Seattle Seahawks, the era under head coach Pete Carroll ended. After missing the playoffs in the NFL, the 72-year-old will end his involvement on the sidelines and instead switch to a consulting role.
In February 2014, Carroll celebrated with the Seahawks winning the 48th edition of the Super Bowl in the final against the Denver Broncos (43:8). Another final appearance followed a year later, but Seattle unfortunately had to hand over the title to the New England Patriots. After that, the team was no longer able to build on its great successes.