Have you ever seen them in the same room at the same time? Bill Belichick is Gregg Popovich, Gregg Popovich is Bill Belichick. They are exactly the same human being. Here’s why.
Depending on their respective styles in dealing with the media, we hear a lot of comparisons between New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. What we don’t hear anything about is how similar their careers have been in terms of development, length, style and success.
Let’s start with this statistical comparison of their head coaching careers. Then we will compare their personal lives. I’m discounting Belichick’s time in Cleveland because one of the enduring parts of this comparison is the longevity with each coach’s current franchise. The numbers are crazy and almost identical.
Sure, Belichick has Tom Brady and Popovich has Tim Duncan, but outside of those core players, it’s a rotating cast that fills roles as needed without spending any money. And they never deviate. Ever. Ask Deion Branch or Dennis Rodman how it works.
The systems both coaches have established for each franchise is greater than that of any individual player. Systems that they learned under the tutelage of some of the best coaches in the history of the NFL and NBA.
Belichick’s first coaching job went to Ted Marchibroda in 1975, whose coaching tree includes Marvin Lewis, Eric Mangini, Jim Schwartz, Lindy Infante and Ken Whisenhunt. From there he joined the New York Giants and worked under head coach Ray Perkins, while working alongside fellow assistants Romeo Crennel and Bill Parcells.
When Perkins was fired, Parcells became the Giants’ head coach and Belichick was promoted to defensive coordinator. New York won two Super Bowls in five years.
After four years in Cleveland, Belichick worked with Parcells again, this time in New England, and they would eventually lose to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. Belichick followed Parcells to the Jets as an assistant before being hired by the Patriots.
Popovich’s journey from assistant coach to head coach is equally star-studded. After befriending then-University of Kansas head coach Larry Brown, Popovich joined Brown’s staff when he was named head coach of the Spurs in 1987 and remained until 1992. He coached alongside notable coaches such as Alvin Gentry and Ed Manning, father of NBA player Danny Manning.
In 1992 he joined the Golden State Warriors as an assistant to NBA Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson during the height of the “Run TMC” era. In 1994, “Pop” returned to the Spurs as the team’s general manager.
15 games into the 1996-97 season, he fired head coach Bob Hill and hired himself as head coach. The Spurs went 20-62 that season (Popovich’s only sub-.500 season), secured the No. 1 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, selected Tim Duncan, and the rest is history.
Belichick was hired by New England in 2000. Since then, the other 31 NFL teams have used more than 140 coaches. Popovich is the longest-tenured coach among the four major professional sports.
Belichick’s Patriots have won more than 10 games in 15 consecutive seasons and made the playoffs in 15 of 18 seasons, missing them only in 2000 (his first season), 2002 and 2008. Popovich’s Spurs teams have won at least 50 games for an NBA record 18 consecutive seasons and have made the playoffs 21 consecutive seasons.
Are they the same person? Well, we’ve never seen them in the same room at the same time, like La Toya and Michael. The similarities are striking, both personal and professional.
Which leads to this:
Belichick and Popovich are three years apart in age. They are both of Croatian descent. Both have military educations in their backgrounds, and Popovich actually served in the US Air Force. They both played their chosen sport in college.
Inside, they are true students of the old school who emphasize team performance over individual achievements, even in the way they avoid the praise heaped on themselves.
What kind of conversations is Belichick having with Parcells at this stage of his career? What is Popovich talking about with Larry Brown? Both Parcells and Brown experienced rare success in their coaching careers, but have been overshadowed by their former students. What are those exchanges like?
Invariably, a successful new coach, and potentially coaches, will emerge from both Belichick and Popovich’s coaching tree. But will they ever defeat the master? Have they set the bar so high that it is out of reach?
Is Bill Belichick the best coach in NFL history? Is Gregg Popovich the best coach in NBA history?
Finkle is Einhorn and Einhorn is Finkle. Bill Belichick is Gregg Popovich, Gregg Popovich is Bill Belichick.
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