Bill Belichick completed his 46th season as an NFL coach in 2020 and is in his 22nd season as head coach of the New England Patriots. Belichick is the only head coach in NFL history to win six Super Bowl titles. In 2018, Belichick won his sixth Super Bowl, joining George Halas and Curly Lambeau as the only NFL coaches with six championships. He enters his 47th consecutive year as an NFL coach in 2021, the most consecutive seasons as an NFL coach. Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau (45) is second. The only other NFL coach with at least 40 consecutive NFL coaching seasons is Tom Moore with 41.
Through 2020, Belichick owns the most wins among all active coaches and ranks third all-time with 311 total victories as a head coach. Belichick's winning percentage of .678 ranks second in NFL history among coaches with 150 or more wins to the .682 by George Halas. He led the Patriots to a winning record for 19 consecutive seasons (2001-19), behind only Dallas' Tom Landry, who recorded 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966-85. Belichick has also notched 31 postseason wins in his career, most by a head coach in NFL history. Belichick, who was hired by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft on Jan. 27, 2000, completed his 21st season with the Patriots in 2020. In 21 seasons, Belichick has delivered six Super Bowl championships, nine conference titles, 17 division crowns (with 2002 and 2008 lost on tiebreakers) and 30 playoff victories, while posting an overall record of 274-103. In 2019, the Patriots won their 11th consecutive division championship, extending their NFL record previously held by the L.A. Rams (1973-79). Belichick directed the Patriots to victories in Super Bowls XXXVI (2001), XXXVIII (2003), XXXIX (2004), XLIX (2014), LI (2016) and LIII (2018), and in 2007 he became the only NFL head coach to guide his team to a 16-0 regular season. From 2003 to 2004, Belichick coached the Patriots to a winning streak of 21 consecutive games, including the postseason. In 2018, Belichick joined Marv Levy (4) and Don Shula (3) as the only NFL head coaches to lead their team to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
Despite an NFL system designed to ensure parity, Belichick's program has produced a remarkable run of sustained on-field success. From 2000-19, the Patriots won 74 percent of their regular-season games (267-94), the highest winning percentage of any major American professional sports team over that span. Over a 100-game stretch from 2003-09, Belichick directed the team to 81 wins, the most in NFL history by a head coach. Additionally, the Patriots finished 2019 with 141 wins (regular and postseason) in the decade from 2010-19, surpassing their previous NFL record for wins in a decade with 126 victories from 2000-09. From 2011-18, Belichick's teams won the AFC East title and advanced in the playoffs, with the Patriots eight straight years of playoff advancement extending their NFL record previously held by Dallas with six (1991-96). Additionally, New England set an NFL record by qualifying for the playoffs for 11 straight seasons (2009-19), besting Dallas and Indianapolis, who qualified for the postseason for nine consecutive years.
Belichick's 31 career playoff wins are the most all-time among head coaches, while New England's 16 playoff victories from 2010-19 are the most in any decade in NFL history. He has compiled a career playoff record of 31-12, with his .721 playoff winning percentage placing him third in NFL history.
In addition, the Patriots have consistently maintained their focus throughout the year and have played their best football late in the season. From 2001 through 2019, the Patriots led the league with a 114-35 (.765) overall record in games played on Thanksgiving or later in the NFL season, including playoffs. The club also posted an NFL-best 45-17 (.726) mark during that time in games played on Christmas or later in the NFL season and were an NFL-best 67-16 (.807) in the month of December.
Additionally, Belichick is the first head coach in NFL history to lead a team to three straight 500-point seasons (2010-12) and the Patriots are the first franchise in NFL history to score 500 or more points in four seasons (2007-589, 2010-518, 2011-513 and 2012-557).
In the victory over the Cleveland Browns at home on Oct. 27, 2019, Belichick became the third head coach in NFL history to win 300 games, doing so in his 434th NFL game, faster than Don Shula (445 games) and George Halas (455 games).