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'Beat Duke': Bill Belichick's first words revisited ahead of North Carolina rivalry
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- 'Beat Duke': Bill Belichick's first words revisited ahead of North Carolina rivalry
When North Carolina football hired Bill Belichick to succeed Mack Brown in Chapel Hill, it was considered one of the biggest splash hires in recent college football history.
The decision by UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham was not just an attempt to rejuvenate the Tar Heels' program, but also a homecoming of sorts for the former New England Patriots coach: Belichick's father, Steve Belihick, once spent three years as an assistant coach for UNC from 1953-55.
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It is from his father's time as a UNC assistant that Belichick understood the top objective of each season at UNC: Beat Duke .
Belichick will have his first attempt at downing the Blue Devils on Saturday, Nov. 22 when the Tar Heels welcome in their Tobacco Road rival to Kenan Stadium. A win for North Carolina against Duke in Week 13 will keep the Tar Heels' postseason hopes alive in Belichick's first season. The Tar Heels (4-6, 2-4 in ACC play) need to win out to become bowl-eligible.
Here's a look back at Belichick's famous first words at the start of his time at UNC:
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Revisiting Bill Belichick's 'Beat Duke' comments
In his introductory news conference, Belichick claimed his first words growing up were "Beat Duke," making his move to UNC seem like a pairing of destiny.
"Always wanted to coach in football, college football. It just never really worked out," Belichick said in his introductory news conference. "I had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. But this is really kind of a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad, coach at Navy for 50 years. As a kid, all I knew was college football.
"... When you are little, you don't remember everything. I obviously was too young to remember a lot of things from (our time in) Carolina. As I grew up, you hear the same story over and over again. So one story I always heard was, (that) Billy's first words were, 'Beat Duke.'"
UNC-Duke football series history
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Series leader:North Carolina leads 66-41-4 *
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UNC's last win:2023 (47-45) (2OT)
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Duke's last win:2024 (21-20)
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* UNC lists its official record as 66-41-4 despite Duke listing UNC leads the all-time series 65-42-4.
According to UNC's media guide, the Tar Heels are 66-41-4 in their previous 111 matchups against Duke, with the Blue Devils taking last year's meeting in Durham. Duke notes its official record vs. UNC at 65-42-4, as the Tar Heels' media guide still includes both of their 2008 and 2009 wins over the Blue Devils which were vacated by the NCAA.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Were Bill Belichick's first words really 'Beat Duke'? What to know
