Belichick

The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time

By: Ian O'Connor

Narrated by: Brian Hutchison

Length: 21 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

From a New York Times best-selling author, the definitive biography of the NFL’s most enigmatic, controversial, and yet successful coach, Bill Belichick.

Bill Belichick is perhaps the most fascinating figure in the NFL - the infamously dour face of one of the winningest franchises in sports. As head coach of the New England Patriots, he’s led the team to five Super Bowl championship trophies. In this revelatory new and robust biography, listeners will come to understand and see Belichick’s full life in football, from watching Naval Academy games as a kid with his player-scout father, to masterminding two Super Bowl-winning game plans as defensive coordinator for the Giants, and to his dramatic leap to the Patriots, where he has made history.

Veteran sports writer and award-winning author Ian O’Connor delves into the mind of the man who has earned a place among coaching legends like Lombardi, Halas, and Paul Brown, presenting sides of Belichick that have previously been unexplored. O’Connor discovers how this legendary coach shaped the people he met and worked with in ways perhaps even Belichick himself doesn’t know.

Those who follow and love pro football know Bill Belichick only as the hooded genius of the Patriots, a team shrouded in victory and controversy. But there is so much more - from the hidden tensions and deep layers to his relationship with Tom Brady, to his sometimes frosty dealings with owner Robert Kraft, and to the surprising camaraderie he shares with the team. This is a man who has many facets and, ultimately, has created a notorious football dynasty.

Based on exhaustive research and countless interviews, this audiobook circles around Belichick to tell his full story for the first time and presents an incisive portrait of a mastermind at work.

©2018 Ian O'Connor (P)2018 Recorded Books

Confirmation of what Pat fans pretty much knew...

Confirmation yes but as a Pats fans I yearned to hear it. Excellent listen, great performance and story of arguably the greatest dynasties in sports - definitely in the NFL and one of the men behind it. Would of given five stars across the board if the eternal question was answered definitively- why was Malcolm Butler benched !!!!!

Great book

I truly enjoyed this book. highly recommended to all Belichick fans. This man is truly inspiring.

Well written and insightful

I recommend this book, in reading about Belichick's approach I was reminded of Herb Brooks and the approach he took in managing the 1980 US Olympic team. Well written and well researched.

pronunciation

Work on pronunciation of NFL players' names. Pretty brutal butchering of 90% of them. Otherwis fine job.

Revealing Portrait

I've read numerous books about Belichick. I thought I knew it all, but the author provides a lot of new information. Although the subject asked his friends and colleagues not to cooperate with the author, I found the portrait fair and balanced. O'Connor examines Belichick from all angles and introduces both his genius and his flaws. If you're a football fan and want to understand how this man thinks, you'll benefit from listening to this book.

The information about his dad's career; Bill's high school, prep school, and college football and lacrosse careers; his life's intersection with many other famous people in very different fields; and his acts of kindness to coaches are groundbreaking.

One question, though: How does the author end up with so many Belichick quotes in the book, if the coach didn't cooperate? He obviously didn't get them directly from the coach. O'Connor needs to attribute those quotes to sources (such as a magazine or other media outlet). He doesn't, and it leaves me wondering at times about the validity of the quote.

I rarely downgrade a reader - most of them at Audible are terrific - but I did so here. Brian Hutchison has a great voice and keeps the book interesting. The problem is that he and the game of football are total strangers. He absolutely butchers a number names throughout the book. I expect him to have trouble with Hoomanawanui, which he can fix by asking someone how to pronounce the name. Someone should have picked up on his mispronouncing the names of Matt Cassel (Ca-SELL), Dont'a Hightower (DAWN-tuh), George Halas (HOL-lis), and a dozen or more others. It's distracting.

Overall, this is a terrific book and a compelling listen. I highly recommend it.

Great book

Will recommend to friends and family. Bill is a football freak without any equals. Not s pats fan but much respect.

worth the read for any football fan

great read for any football fan. Yeah, he willfully cheated and tainted the integrity of the game, but he's a brilliant football mind who changed the game.

meh

Very deep info wise. first four chapters are hard because I just didn't care for all the details of Bill Bs backstory as a kid. Narrator reads quotes in the same exact way everytime. He makes everyone sound like an arrogant prick. I think he was quote boring honestly. But overall a good listen.

Outstanding!

Incredible job giving us a glimpse into the life of Mr. private. As a Steelers fan I would have loved to know more about what was on the spy gate tapes. A huge thank you to Ian O’Connor.
Sincerely
Chuck Reid

Amazing book, so-so narration.

It's obvious the narrator isn't a football fan based on the way he pronounces names.