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Nothing comes close to the Belichick snub, HOF coach comparisons show
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- Nothing comes close to the Belichick snub, HOF coach comparisons show
What are some of the other most glaring snubs of coaches in Pro Football Hall of Fame history?
All things considered, nothing comes close to the current one.
Bill Belichick's exclusion from the Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 prompted one of the biggest uproars in Hall of Fame election-week annals, coach, player or otherwise.
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Belichick's nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins with the Patriots are the best Super Bowl record by a head coach, by far.
Yet, according to widespread reports, Belichick fell one vote short of the 80% "yes" votes required, garnering 39 of a possible 50 votes. The official announcement was supposed to be a secret until Feb. 5.
One educated guess is that the heat will be turned up on the "no" voters to the extent Belichick easily will make the Class of 2027.
Oct 10, 2019; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches a play against the New York Giants during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Rules on Hall of Fame waiting periods for coaches have changed, but Belichick seemed a sure first-ballot enshrinee regardless.
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From the time the Hall of Fame welcomed its charter class in 1963 through 2006, the only "waiting requirement" for a coach was to be retired.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick watches his team from the sidelines against the New York Giants during Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
According to Hall of Fame spokesperson Rich Desrosiers, the rule was changed in 2007 to require a coach to be retired for five years.
In 2025, the rule was changed again to require waiting only one year after retirement to be eligible.
The Hall regards retirement only as it applies to NFL work, and does not treat Belichick as being "unretired" by virtue of piloting the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2025. He last coached in the NFL in 2023.
North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines in the second quarter of a home game, Sept. 13, 2025.
The recent rule change made the Class of 2026 the first for which Belichick was eligible. He was a presumed cinch, despite the "Spygate" and "Deflategate" issues, based on his Super Bowls and an astounding 266-121 regular-season record with the Patriots. (Before his New England years, he was 36-44 with the Browns. )
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Here's a wait-oriented look at coaches who were elected to the Hall during the years there was a five-year waiting period, 2007-24:
New York Giants cornerback Mark Collins (25), coach Bill Parcells, cornerback Everson Walls (28) and assistant Bill Belichick stand on the sideline during Super Bowl XXV against the Buffalo Bills at Tampa Stadium on Jan. 27, 1991, in Tampa, Florida.
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2013: Bill Parcells,who won two Super Bowls with Belichick as his Giants defensive coordinator and also lost a Super Bowl with the Patriots, made it in his second year of eligibility. His regular-season records were 77-49-1 with the Giants, 32-32 with the Patriots, 29-19 with the Jets and 34-30 with the Cowboys.
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2016: Tony Dungy,who won his only Super Bowl appearance during a 13-year head coaching career, was elected in his third year of eligibility. He posted regular-season records of 54-42 with the Buccaneers and 85-27 with the Colts .
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2020: Bill Cowher, who was 1-1 in Super Bowls during a 15-year run as head coach in Pittsburgh , was elected in his ninth year of eligibility. He compiled a 149-90-1 regular-season record.
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2020: Jimmy Johnson,who won both of his Super Bowl appearances during a nine-year NFL head coaching career, was elected in his 16th year of eligibility. He compiled regular-season records of 44-36 with the Cowboys and 36-28 with the Dolphins.
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2021: Tom Flores,whose two trips to Super Bowls resulted in Raiders victories, was elected long after his last year as a head coach with the 1994 Seahawks. His regular-season records were 83-53 with the Raiders and 14-34 with Seattle .
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2022: Dick Vermeil,who lost a Super Bowl as head coach of the Eagles and won one with the Rams, wasn't a serious candidate after he retired in 1983 to work in television. He eventually returned to the sidelines, working as recently as 2005, and made the Hall in his 12th year of eligibility as a realistic candidate. He posted regular-season records of 54-47 with the Eagles, 22-26 with the Rams and 44-36 with the Chiefs.
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2023: Don Coryell, who did not reach a Super Bowl in 14 years as a head coach, was eligible for the Hall for decades after last being a head coach in 1986. His regular-season records were 42-27-1 with the Cardinals and 69-56 with the Chargers .
Don Coryell’s daughter Mindy Coryell Lewis and presenter Dan Fouts unveil his bust during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in Canton.
Vince Lombardi made the Hall of Fame faster than any other coach. He won three NFL championships before there was a Super Bowl and then led the Packers to wins in the first two Super Bowls. He worked his last game (with Washington) on Dec. 21, 1969, died on Sept. 3, 1970, and was elected to the Hall of Fame on Jan. 16, 1971.
Before the five-year waiting period was instituted in 2007, three other head coaches made the Hall of Fame the first year they were eligible. The three:
Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula and Washington head coach George Allen talk before Super Bowl VII at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Jan. 14, 1973. The Dolphins defeated the Redskins 14-7 and finishing the season a perfect 17-0.
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1990: Tom Landryposted a 2-3 record in Super Bowls during a 29-year run as head coach of the Cowboys. His regular-season record was 250-162-6.
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1993: Chuck Nollcompiled a 4-0 record in Super Bowls during a 23-year run with Pittsburgh. His regular-season record was 193-148-1.
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1997: Don Shulalost a Super Bowl with the Colts and went 2-2 in Super Bowls with the Dolphins. His regular-season record across 33 seasons was 328-156-6.
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Paul Brown was in the Hall of Fame's Class of 1967. He wasn't elected sooner because voters were waiting to see if he was really retired, after Art Modell fired him following the 1962 season. Brown had piloted the Cleveland Browns to four AAFC championships and three NFL championships long before there was a Super Bowl.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Otto Graham introduced Paul Brown at the 1967 enshrinement of his coach into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A year after Brown was elected to the Hall, he became founding head coach of the expansion Cincinnati Bengals .
Others among the 29 coaches who have have been elected to the Hall of Fame are George Halas (1963), Curly Lambeau (1963), Jimmy Conzelman (1964), Guy Chamberlain (1965), Steve Owen (1966), Greasy Neale (1969), Ray Flaherty (1976), Weeb Ewbank (1978), Sid Gillman (1983), Bill Walsh (1993), Bud Grant (1994), Joe Gibbs (1996), Marv Levy (2001), George Allen (2002), Hank Stram (2003), Fritz Pollard (2005), and John Madden (2006).
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Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Bill Belichick's Hall of Fame snub vs Noll, Shula other NFL coaches
