The excitement in Foxborough was very high for winning another Super Bowl and cementing the New England Patriots as the most successful team in NFL history. However, despite a great performance during the season, Mike Vrabel’s team fell short in the final and came up empty-handed. Now, the question many are asking is: how long did it take Bill Belichick to win his first ring?
On February 3, 2002, the Patriots defeated the Rams 20–17 in Super Bowl XXXVI, and in this way, Belichick won his first ring leading the team. This was his second season in charge of New England, as he had taken over the position in 2000, posting a 5–11 record in his first campaign.
This fact is somewhat encouraging for Vrabel, who, while he achieved a historic Super Bowl berth in his first season, ultimately did not secure the Vince Lombardi Trophy. So he will have to wait a bit longer to achieve this milestone.
A legendary career for Belichick
Bill Belichick’s legendary tenure as the head coach of the New England Patriots resulted in an unprecedented six Super Bowl victories (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, and LIII), a record for any head coach in NFL history.
However, his journey also included three high-profile losses at the helm: two heartbreaking defeats to the New York Giants (XLII and XLVI) and a high-scoring shootout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (LII).
Including his two additional rings as a defensive coordinator for the Giants, Belichick’s career is defined by a staggering nine appearances and a total of eight Super Bowl rings, solidifying his status as the most decorated coach in the game.