The New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick as head coach on this day, Jan. 27, in 2000, and the NFL has never been the same.
Fast forward 19 years and the Patriots have won five Super Bowl titles under Belichick, and they'll try for a sixth in Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Belichick is by far the longest-tenured head coach in the league, and the amount of head coaches who have been employed in the nearly two decades since he joined the Pats is truly staggering.
On this day 19 years ago, the Patriots hired Bill Belichick as their head coach. Since that time, the rest of the NFL has employed 184 head coaches combined. — Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 27, 2019
There have been 26 head coaching hires in the AFC East alone since Belichick came into the mix.
Coaching stability is incredibly important in pro football and Belichick is the embodiment of that. A lot of coaches wear out their welcome at some point, and their message becomes stale. Belichick has completely avoided that scenario with his ability to get everyone on the same page and focus squarely on winning.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Belichick is the best coach in NFL history, and another Super Bowl championship with the Patriots would strengthen his case as the best coach of all-time in any sport.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.