National Football League: Bill Belichick Among 12 Coaches Vying For Pro Football Hall of Fame 2026 Class
Published Oct. 21, 2025, at 12:27 p.m. ET
Six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick has advanced to the final 12 coaches competing for a spot in the 2026 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This marks Belichick’s first year of eligibility after recent rule changes allowed coaches to be considered for the Hall after being out of the NFL for just one full season.
Other notable coaches in the running include two-time Super Bowl champions Tom Coughlin, Mike Shanahan, and George Seifert, along with another Super Bowl victor, Mike Holmgren. The remaining coaches vying for a place include Bill Arnsparger, Alex Gibbs, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, and Clark Shaughnessy.
A blue-ribbon committee will narrow this field down to nine semifinalists next month, eventually leading to one finalist. Holmgren earned a finalist spot last year but did not secure enough votes. The coach will be paired with one contributor and three senior candidates spin.ph8. Between one to three of these five finalists will enter the Hall, requiring at least 80% of the votes from the entire committee.
Belichick is famed for orchestrating the New England Patriots dynasty during the 2000s, guiding the team to six Super Bowl titles and three additional appearances over 18 seasons from 2001 to 2018. With 333 combined wins in regular season and playoffs for New England and Cleveland, he ranks second only to Don Shula’s 347 victories phjoy app. Before taking the helm in New England, Belichick was regarded as one of the top defensive assistants, having won two more Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
After concluding his tenure with the Patriots following the 2023 season, Belichick is now coaching at North Carolina, where his team currently holds a 2-4 record in his inaugural season. He joins Coughlin, Shanahan, and Seifert among 14 coaches that have secured multiple Super Bowl wins. Nine of those coaches are already inducted, with Andy Reid being the only one still active.
Coughlin accumulated 20 years of coaching experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Giants. He took the Jaguars to the AFC Championship game in just their second season and again in 1999. However, his most significant success was with the Giants after he took over in 2004, leading them to a Super Bowl victory in the 2007 season by defeating the undefeated Patriots, followed by another victory against Belichick, Tom Brady, and the Patriots four years later. Coughlin concluded his coaching career with a regular-season record of 170-150.
Seifert contributed to San Francisco’s success, helping win two titles as a defensive coordinator under Bill Walsh and later two more as head coach after Walsh’s departure in 1989 bmw55 slot casino. He maintained a remarkable record of winning at least ten games in each of his eight seasons with the 49ers, boasting a 98-30 record (.766) that remains the best for any coach managing a single team with over 100 games. Unfortunately, he could not replicate that success during three seasons with Carolina, where he finished at 16-32.
Shanahan served as the offensive coordinator under Seifert for San Francisco’s 1994 championship team and subsequently achieved back-to-back titles as head coach in Denver during 1997 and 1998. He concluded his coaching career with a 170-138 record across the Raiders, Broncos, and Washington. Shanahan’s influence on the game persists through his disciples, including his son Kyle, who currently coaches the San Francisco 49ers. Four other current NFL head coaches, Sean McVay, Mike McDaniel, Matt LaFleur, and Raheem Morris, all worked under Shanahan in Washington, and the offensive system he introduced—tying the outside zone run with the passing game—remains prevalent in the league today.
Gibbs was a long-time offensive line coach for Shanahan in Denver, where he played a key role in rolling out the zone-running scheme foundational to their offense. Holmgren, who previously held the offensive coordinator role in San Francisco, made a significant mark on future coaches, with Andy Reid and Jon Gruden achieving Super Bowl success after learning under him in Green Bay. Holmgren recorded a 161-111 record coaching the Packers and Seahawks, winning the title in 1996 and reaching the Super Bowl the following season in Green Bay, then again in 2005 with Seattle.
Reporting by The Associated Press. 777pub com download for android
What are your thoughts on the prospects of Belichick and the other coaches making it to the Hall of Fame?
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