While most of us know Bill Belichick for being one of the greatest defensive coaches in NFL history, what many of us don’t know about the Patriots legend is his Croatian roots. So, when visuals surfaced of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and President Zoran Milanović recognizing Belichick with a certificate of nationality, everyone was left scratching their heads.
Advertisement
Earlier this month, the legendary NFL coach visited Croatia, where he officially became a citizen of the country thanks to his grandfather’s roots. For a country with no connection to the NFL, producing a legendary NFL coach is a matter of pride, and Croatia’s head of state dignitaries awarded the Patriots legend with the Order of the Croatian Star.
The sudden news of Belichick’s dual citizenship and high-order recognition from the Croatian head of state certainly surprised a fair number of fans. But for those who have followed the Patriots legend closely, this is not a surprise at all.
Over the years, Belichick has always been proud of his Croatian heritage. A glimpse of this was seen in the latter part of his Patriots tenure when a Croatian pin celebrating his heritage was affixed to his gameday attire, a privilege the league has granted to both coaches and players since 2022.
“I’m proud of my Croatian heritage, and I’m proud to wear it,” Belichick told reporters during his visit. “I’m not in Croatia. I’m not a citizen, but it is a heritage that is half of my family. My mom was English. My dad was Croatian.”
That being said, it is heartening to see that Belichick, after years of celebrating his Croatian heritage, is finally a Croatian citizen. His success today is an inspiration for all the migrants struggling hard to make ends meet in a new country. After all, it was Belichick’s grandparents who set the platform for his sound upbringing after they dreamt of the American Dream in 1910.
“Now I’m One of You”: Bill Belichick Celebrates His Croatian Citizenship
Belichick’s grandparents came to America in 1910 from Draganić, central Croatia. Following the emigration, his paternal grandparents, Marija Barković and Ivan Biličić, from the European country, settled in Monessen, Pennsylvania, under the names Mary and John Belichick. The couple then had five children, with Bill being born to their youngest son, Stephen.
The New England Patriots coach recalled his grandparents’ struggling days in America in the early 1900s and revealed that it was because of their struggles that his father could pursue being a football coach. As most of us are aware, Bill learned most of his football in his early days from his father and has proudly credited him multiple times for his success.
Thus, in his interaction with the Croatian soccer team, he admitted that he is proud to officially be a citizen, considering all the hardships his family faced to help him be where he is.
“My grandparents came to the USA in 1910 from Draganić and had a difficult life, but that’s why my father [Steve], also an American football coach, managed to live his American dream,” Belichick said, as per a Croatian publication Večernji. “Yesterday, I became a Croatian citizen. Now I’m one of you.”
All in all, it’s heartening to see Belichick make his grandparents’ struggles count. We sincerely hope that Belichick’s story inspires millions of migrants and their second generations across the world in their pursuit of greatness.
