This season will mark Bill Belichick’s 38th year in the NFL. The Patriots coach started out as a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975.
That position only paid him $25 a week.
Today, as he enters his 14th season with the Pats, Belichick got a bit nostalgic. When asked what it was about football that he loved, Belichick said it was simple.
“I like football,” he said. “I like the game. I like the players. That’s what it’s all about… it beats working.”
Speaking of working, Belichick was asked if he had any odd jobs before getting into coaching. Like most high school and college students he did, which included waiting tables and working for the Mayflower moving company.
His favorite summer job, however, was working for his dad’s summer football camp. It gave him his first taste of football coaching and he’s been at it ever since.
“Yeah, high school and college - I had plenty of (odd jobs),” Belichick said. “But I was fortunate that I was able to work at my dad’s football camps, which was two to three weeks over the summer. That was really a great experience for me. It was a summer job that was a week off from my other summer jobs. That was waiting (tables) or working for Mayflower moving or whatever that would be.
“It was good because I had the opportunity to work with a lot of coaches. College coaches, a lot of guys who eventually became coaches. A couple coaches… that I actually worked with my first year at the Colts that were at my dad’s camps. There were three of them on that staff. So, you know, that was a great opportunity for me to work in those camps. There was a lot of good coaches that were working with kids who were in high school, junior high school. Not that I was a full-fledged coach or anything, but just the experience of being around and seeing a lot of the things – hearing coaches talking, exchange ideas, seeing coaches coach different techniques at the same position. It was a great experience. That wasn’t a high-paying summer job, but it was a good job. Glad I had it.”
