New York Giants Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor is feeling good about his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, after they announced recently that Bill Belichick would be taking over as the head coach.
NFL legend @LT_56 believes his alma mater North Carolina now “has a chance to win it all” with his former Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick serving as its head coach.
🎧 https://t.co/rzkMBTO8Ql pic.twitter.com/q8j6vhDOd0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2024
Taylor played at UNC from 1977 through 1980 earning All-American honors and was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1980. He was selected second overall by the Giants in the 1981 NFL draft and went on to have one of the most storied careers in NFL history.
Belichick was a defensive assistant and special teams coach under head coach Ray Perkins and defensive coordinator Bill Parcells in 1981. He was in charge of a linebacker unit that included Taylor, fellow Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Brad Van Pelt, and Brian Kelley. Carl Banks and Gary Reasons would later replace Van Pelt and Kelley.
Taylor was not initially a fan of Belichick’s in the beginning. When Bill Parcells replaced Perkins as the head coach in 1983, Belichick became a key strategist and was elected to defensive coordinator in 1985, much to the objection of Taylor.
“I cursed Parcells out when he hired Belichick as the defensive coordinator,” Taylor said in a 2021 interview. “I come into the league, and I meet Bill Belichick. He’s an assistant special teams coach… now what the hell, that’s like a towel boy. What the hell is that? Assistant special teams coach.”
Parcells then set Taylor straight that it was Belichick who had been drawing up the defensive schemes and calls that had led to the team’s success.
“I said, ‘what?!’ I mean, even Cover 2 … all those belong to him?” Taylor said. “And he got a little respect from me that day, and I tell you what, he has turned out to be one of the best coaches in history.”
The mutual respect doesn’t end there. Belichick, who has eight Super Bowl rings — six as a head coach of the New England Patriots and two with the Giants as an assistant — believes Taylor to be the best to have ever done it.
“Well, I think I had the honor of coaching the greatest defensive football player in the history of the game, and he helped make me a great coach, I’ll tell you,” Belichick said.
It remains to be seen if Taylor will make any appearances down in Chapel Hill now that Belichick is there. Perhaps they can combine for more magic in the future.
