BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Twenty years ago Monday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft introduced a new coach by the name of Bill Belichick.
"I like him a lot, and I believe he's the most capable person at this point in time to help us win next year," Kraft said at the time.
Bill Belichick in 2000. (Getty Images)
At the time, the news barely made the front page of the Boston Globe—after all, this wasn't Marty Schottenheimer or Dom Capers—but as the legendary Globe reporter Will McDonough noted in his headline, the Pats "got their man."
Belichick had resigned as head coach of the New York Jets three weeks earlier, famously scribbling on a sheet of paper that he was resigning as "HC of the NYJ," just moments before he was set to be formally announced.
At the Patriots press conference on January 27, 2000, Belichick beamed.
"Along with the two Super Bowl wins, this is a career highlight for me," Belichick said. "It's a tremendous opportunity. I'm thrilled to be here, and thrilled to be part of the Patriots organization. I don't know if I can adequately put it into words, but I'm very happy."
Today, Belichick is the only coach in NFL history to win six Super Bowls. He was the fastest to 300 wins, and has a record 17 division titles to his name. At 68, he's shown no signs of slowing down.
Belichick said something at that 2000 press conference that now sounds prophetic:
"That's all I really am about, is trying to win football games."
WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports
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