Bill Belichick was greeted with a loud roar from North Carolina fans when he stepped onto the court during halftime of the Tar Heels’ game against La Salle on Saturday.
During his short halftime speech, Belichick expressed his excitement to the crowd, along with paying homage to former Tar Heel basketball coach Frank McGuire, saying that he was one of the first basketball coaches he ever connected with.
Belichick was also seen on the sidelines with future Tar Heel QB Bryce Baker, who confirmed his commitment to UNC just hours before.
On Wednesday, the UNC board of trustees approved the 72-year-old’s switch to college football at North Carolina’s new head coach following his 49-year coaching career in the NFL.
This move comes nearly a year after Belichick and the New England Patriots agreed to part ways in January.
Belichick won six Super Bowl championships, and accumulated 266 wins during his legendary 24-year tenure with New England.
Belichick’s appearance at the UNC basketball game on Saturday marks his second public appearance with the school.
On Thursday, Belichick was formally introduced for the first time during his first official press conference with UNC, where he referred to his new position as a “dream come true”.
When Belichick was a toddler, his father, Steve, was an assistant on UNC’s staff from 1953-55.
Belichick has also made it clear that he plans to run a professional-style program at UNC.
Details were released on Thursday regarding Belichick’s contract with UNC.
Belichick is set to receive a $1 million base salary, along with $9 million of supplemental income. The deal is guaranteed for the first three years, which becomes non-guaranteed in years four and five.
The deal also provided performance-based incentives for Belichick.
For example, he will receive an additional $150,000 if he leads the Tar Heels to an eight-win season, along with an extra $50,000 for each further win after that.
It was also reported on Saturday that Belichick inquired about a coaching job with the New York Jets shortly before his move to UNC.
