See Bill Bike!!

Did you know this man has done a triathlon??

Bill Belichick, the Patriots coach, described by experts as a coaching genius, has spent at least one day,perhaps more..swimming,biking, and running.
(courtesy http://www.atbb.com/)

A little history. Bill became the Cleveland Browns coach in 1991. Before he came to town, I did a litttle research and found out he had competed in a triathlon on Cape Cod. I figured that bit of history on the new coach would be a common subject for us to launch our "media guy visa Football Coach" relationship.

You never want to get too chummy with the people you cover, but it was something the two of us took a liking to, I guess.

I invited Bill to compete in a race in the Cleveland area. He appreciated the invite and said he might be able to squeeze one into his schedule. That never happened as he threw himself into the job of coaching the Browns. Each year become more intense, more pressurized than the previous one. Next thing you know, Art Modell moves the Browns, and Belichick was gone from Cleveland.

Not that he did not appreciate the aerobic workout. Cripes. He would hop on an elliptical..or a stairmaster or a bike or a treadmill and would spend hours watching tapes.. He was consumed by the job. He often rode his bike from his Brecksville home to the Browns facility in Berea.That unfashionable baggy top we have seen him coach games in is what he wore much of the time as he worked out...studied film, barked at his players in meetings and drilled them on the field.


I like to say he was a closet triathlete and he still kids me about my trying to get him into the sport. You might recall he has flourished in New England. They have a few Lombardi trophies, don't they??


Had he thrown himself into triathlons the way he throws himself into coaching..I'd like to think he would ..at least be a pretty good age grouper. He would, likely conduct scientific studies on ways to shave milliseconds off transistion times and I am sure he would drive his triathlon coach up the wall with his drive and determination.



By they way, Coach Bill would be in the same age group as yours truly. Don't even think about it Bill, you'd be in my dust.





j.t.