Bill Belichick Opens Up About His Transition From Being an Assistant Coach to a Head Coach in 1991

Bill Belichick began his coaching journey as a special assistant for the Colts in 1975. After years of hard work, he eventually became assistant head coach for the Jets and then the head man for the Browns (in 1991). While the path may seem straightforward at first glance — someone making their way up gradually, step by step — Belichick emphasizes that it was anything but easy.

On his podcast, COACH, Belichick talked about how his responsibilities as an assistant coach did not translate to being a head coach. Instead, he found himself involved in aspects of the team that he never imagined having control over.

“The first thing I learned was all of the things I learned as an assistant don’t really carry over to being a head coach. You’re involved in hiring a staff, personnel structure, working with the scouting department in terms of team building. You’re more involved in the salary cap and how that money gets spent… Also responsible for a lot of staffing that goes to support the team.”

It’s easy to overlook these aspects when you’re applying to be a head coach. Most people think it just involves setting the starting lineup, calling the timeouts, and making a good speech when needed. But there’s a lot more that goes into it than that.

Belichick even mentions that you’re involved in the medical examinations and injury diagnosis of players. It’s a lot to put on one’s plate, but it’s why they get paid so much to do it.

 

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There’s no experience that truly prepares you for the position, either. With all of these responsibilities, it’s tough to find the energy to think about a game plan for Sunday. Belichick, however, says he managed the demands by simply learning on the fly through repetition.

“You don’t even touch the ‘Well, here’s the defense we’re going to play, here’s the offense we’re going to run…’ Your responsibilities are so much different than that, and there’s no training for it. Because when you’re not the head coach you don’t get to do those things, and it’s a big challenge for any head coach that has not been in that seat before. And you always have to be there one time to start to learn it.”

It’s great advice for anyone looking to get into coaching at any level. There’s so much more to the job than just calling plays. Even at the youth level, there’s parent coordination for rides to games, mid-game snacks, rides home, and so on. Ensuring that a sporting event can take place at any level requires a full team effort from everyone involved, and it starts with effective communication from the head coach.

So, if you’re thinking about coaching, take a moment to listen to the process Belichick is explaining in this clip. If you want to have control over all aspects of the team, head coaching is definitely for you. But if you’d prefer to focus on one smaller aspect, an assistant coaching or staffing role might be a better fit.