Bill Belichick explains accepting North Carolina job despite his age

Bill Belichick knew the question was coming, so too did ESPN producers.

“At 72, why do you want to keep coaching?” a Raleigh News & Observer reporter asked.

It was the second question of Belichick’s introductory press conference as North Carolina’s new head football coach Thursday afternoon, and the 72-year-old former NFL head coach came loaded with a zinger.

“It beats working,” Belichick said amid laughter. “My dad told me this: when you love what you do, it’s not work. I love what I do, I love coaching. I love the interaction with the players, I love building a team, working with the assistants, game planning, the game itself. There’s some good ones and some bad ones, but they’re all learning experiences.

“And working with young kids with the energy and enthusiasm to want to be good, to want to be successful, it’s great every day to wake up and come into that environment.”

Carried live on ESPN’s afternoon SportsCenter, the ESPN producers immediately put up a graphic labeled “Oldest Active FBS Head Coaches” reflecting Belichick’s elevated age in comparison to his new collegiate colleagues. At 72, Belichick is three years older Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (69) and seven years older than Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Temple’s KC Keeler, who was recently hired after a decade at Sam Houston State.

Belichick is actually 7 1/2 months younger than longtime friend and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who retired at 72 after the 2023 season citing the changing landscape of college football as one of his reasons. Saban has since joined ESPN’s College GameDay as a college football analyst.

Bill Belichick on returning to the NFL: ‘I didn’t come here to leave’

For his part, Belichick made it clear he has no intention of following Saban into the media world.

“I feel like doing it a long time, so I’m good to go,” Belichick said later when asked about how long he envisions coaching at UNC.

Belichick also shut down any speculation he might one day leave North Carolina and return to the NFL during his introductory press conference Thursday.

“Yeah, I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick stated.

Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.