Belichick would join other prominent coaches not elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame on 1st try

Bill Belichick, winner of six Super Bowls as a head coach and second all time in NFL coaching wins, will apparently have to wait a little longer for his call to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Citing unidentified sources, ESPN reported Tuesday that Belichick didn’t receive the necessary 40 votes from the 50-person panel of media members and other Hall of Famers.

The reported surprise omission of the man many consider to be one of the greatest football minds in NFL history, sent ripples throughout the league.

Current and former NFL players as well as athletes across the sports world chimed in to voice their astonishment.

The list also included Belichick’s former boss in New England, team owner Robert Kraft, who said that Belichick “unequivocally” deserved selection on his first ballot.

Players have to be retired for at least five full seasons before they are eligible for induction. Coaches only have to be retired for one full season.

The Hall of Fame's class of 2026 will be announced at “NFL Honors” in San Francisco on Feb. 5 as part of the annual Super Bowl festivities.

But if Belichick’s exclusion from this year’s class is confirmed that night, he will join a list of prominent coaches who also didn’t gain immediate election into pro football’s most exclusive fraternity.

All-time NFL wins leader Don Shula (inducted in 1997), Vince Lombardi, who won the first two Super Bowls with Green Bay (inducted in 1971), longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll (1993) and Dallas Cowboys legend Tom Landry (1990) are the only coaches to gain hall admission on their first try outside of the original class in 1963. Chicago Bears coach and owner George Halas and Green Bay Packers coach Curly Lambeau were part of that first class of Hall of Famers.

Here’s a look at some other prominent coaches that had to wait to get their gold jackets:

Joe Gibbs

Accomplishments: Led the former Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl wins and is the only coach to have done it with three different quarterbacks: Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien. He initially left the team after the 1992 season before returning in 2004. Gibbs’ final season was in 2007.

Year he was elected: 1996

Bill Walsh

Accomplishments: In his 10 seasons as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Walsh compiled an impressive 102-63-1 mark that included 10 wins in 14 postseason games. He won Super Bowls in the 1981 and 1984 seasons, then again in his final season in 1988 to cement the 49ers as the NFL’s team of the 1980s.

Year he was elected: 1993

Jimmy Johnson

Accomplishments: Johnson won back-to-back championships with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1992 and 1993 seasons after having championship success in college at Oklahoma and Miami. But Johnson had to wait just over a decade after his final season with the Miami Dolphins before getting his Hall of Fame bust in Canton, Ohio.

Year he was elected: 2020

Hank Stram

Accomplishments: Won AFL championships with the Dallas Texans in 1962 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 1966, along with one Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 1969. His final season was with the New Orleans Saints in 1977.

Year he was elected: 2003

John Madden

Accomplishments: Before gaining fame as a TV analyst, he coached the Oakland Raiders for 10 seasons, earning a regular-season record of 103-32-7. During that time, he guided the team to seven division titles, including five in a row from 1972 to 1976. The Raiders capped the 1976 season with a 32-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings for his lone Super Bowl win.

Year he was elected: 2006

Bill Parcells

Accomplishments: One of Belichick’s mentors, Parcells had just five losing seasons in his 19 seasons as a head coach in the NFL, winning Super Bowls with the New York Giants in the 1986 and 1990 seasons. He also won the 1996 AFC championship with the New England Patriots. His final season with the Cowboys in 2006.

Year he was elected: 2013

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