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Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time

Houghton Harcourt. Sept. 2018. 512p. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780544785748. $28; ebk. ISBN 9780544786752. SPORTS
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OrangeReviewStarAfter New England Patriots' coach Bill Belichick won his third Super Bowl in 2005, he cooperated with journalist David Halberstam to write The Education of a Coach. Now, having led the Patriots to five more Super Bowls and two more championships, Belichick is the subject of another biography—but this one is unauthorized. Sportswriter O'Connor (Arnie & Jack) did not have access to the coach himself but interviewed 350 people for this detailed look at Belichick's successful and controversial life. O'Connor offers a fair-minded assessment of the obsessive coach whose triumphant career has been tainted by notorious episodes such as Spygate and Deflategate that have damaged his reputation among fans and league officials. The author, aided by his extensive interviews, follows Belichick from his boyhood in Annapolis as the son of an unheralded but highly respected college assistant coach through every step of his coaching career. His emphasis is on the long-standing relationship between Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and quarterback Tom Brady, and how that fueled the team's remarkable run of success.
VERDICT A valuable portrayal of both the public and private sides of the NFL's leading coach for the past 20 years that will be in demand among sports collections.
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