Bill Belichick is easily one of the biggest names ever to be a first-time college football head coach. And the former six-time Super Bowl champion as the New England Patriot‘ head coach made quite the unique move when he took the North Carolina job this offseason.
Belichick took a year off from coaching in 2024 after leaving the Patriots following 24 seasons in Foxborough, Massachusetts. He interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons opening twice two offseasons ago after he left the Patriots, but the Falcons ultimately hired Raheem Morris.
It was quite the surprise when Belichick was announced as North Carolina’s coach, given the Tar Heels‘ old coach, Mack Brown, is only eight months older than Belichick. Most college football programs are trending toward younger coaches rather than older, but the Tar Heels are clearly zigging while others zag.
Belichick and North Carolina were unranked in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll in the preseason, and they’ll be looking to surprise the country and lay the groundwork for the future in their first year together.
Bill Belichick age
Belichick is 73 years old, as he was born April 16, 1952. He’s the oldest coach in college football by a decent margin, despite the sport evolving into a new era of name, image and likeness deals.
Belichick is nearly three years older than Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who’s 70 years old. They’re the only two coaches that are 70 years or older to lead major college football programs.
Oldest coaches in college football
Here’s the list of oldest head coaches in college football entering the 2025 season.
- North Carolina’s Bill Belichick, 73
- Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, 70
- Temple’s K.C. Keeler, 66
- Utah’s Kyle Whittingham 65 (Nov. 21, 1959)
- Houston’s Willie Fritz, 65 (April 2, 1960)
- Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, 64
- LSU’s Brian Kelly, 63 (Oct. 25, 1961)
- UConn’s Jim Mora, 63 (Nov. 19, 1961)
- Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, 63 (Nov. 28, 1961)
- Colorado State‘s Jay Norvell, 62
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Bill Belichick age: How old is North Carolina football coach?