Bill Belichick is quickly getting adjusted to life as a college football coach.
Belichick officially took the reins at North Carolina earlier this week and looks to be making the introductory rounds on the Chapel Hill campus. That meant stopping in at North Carolina’s basketball game Saturday against La Salle.
Belichick walked to the middle of the court at the Dean Smith Center during halftime and as is custom in the college world, addressed the fans in attendance. Of course, the 72-year-old heard cheers from the North Carolina faithful. After all, he’s the most accomplished coach to ever take the helm of the school’s football program and we feel safe saying the Tar Heels won’t ever have a bigger signing at that position.
But as Belichick began to speak, some fans broke out into a surprising chant than many probably didn’t expect to hear. There must have been Philadelphia Eagles fans in attendance as an audible “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” chant rang through the arena. You can have a listen for yourself here.
It’s not surprising that Belichick remained unfazed by the potential distraction as he continued to just speak into the mic.
Belichick, as he does with just about every NFL team, has a history with the Eagles. Belichick guided the New England Patriots to their third Super Bowl victory in four years over the Eagles in the early 2000s to cement a dynasty. But Philadelphia got revenge 13 years later by defeating New England, 41-33, in Super Bowl LII. That game is most known for Belichick’s head-scratching decision to bench Malcolm Butler.
Belichick might have left the NFL behind, but it feels like he’ll be constantly reminded of his time there while with North Carolina.
