Bill Belichick Was Not Ready for That College Life

Moments before kickoff in front of an electric sold-out crowd in Chapel Hill, Bill Belichick answered questions from ESPN’s Holly Rowe in one of the few quiet corners of Kenan Stadium. Rowe asked the new North Carolina head coach about his first first time—his NFL head coaching debut, which took place 34 years ago on a brisk fall day in Cleveland with the Browns. A thin, if pained, smile creased Belichick’s face. “I hope it goes a lot better than the game against Dallas and [head coach] Jimmy Johnson,” Belichick said to Rowe. “They crushed us.”