Two.
That’s how many of the 122 coaches/managers in the four major American professional sports leagues had their current jobs when the New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick on Jan. 27, 2000.
Only San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and Los Angeles Angels skipper Mike Scioscia have led their respective clubs longer than Belichick, who on Friday celebrated 17 years as the Patriots’ bench boss. Popovich took over the Spurs in 1996, and Scioscia has managed the Angels since 1999.
And with the remarkable amount of turnover coaches in all four leagues experience, it’s remarkable even three have held on to their positions for this long.
In the NFL, 10 of the 32 current head coaches were hired in either 2016 or 2017. That number will jump to 11 when the San Francisco 49ers hire their new coach, expected to be Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
Ditto for the three other leagues. NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball teams have hired a combined 23 head coaches/managers since the start of 2016, meaning more than a quarter of the currently employed head coaches have been with their teams for one season or less.
Belichick, who is preparing to coach his seventh Super Bowl with the Patriots, is one of six current NFL coaches hired before 2010. In each of the other leagues, that number is three. Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins is the NHL’s longest-tenured coach, having been with the team since 2007.
Thumbnail photo via James Lang/USA TODAY Sports Images
