Did You Know Bill Belichick Has A Rookie Card?

You may be surprised but during different times in the history of sports cards, coaches also got cards in set.

2017: Bill Belichick celebrates after Super Bowl LI where the New England Patriots vs The Atlanta Falcon at NRG Stadium, Houston. | Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK

After more than 20 years as the Patriots' head coach, the team and Bill Belichick parted ways at the end of last season. Former player Jerod Mayo took over as the Patriots' head coach, but Belichick's future seemed uncertain. That was until a few weeks ago, when news emerged linking him to the head coaching job at UNC. Now it's official—he's returning to the sidelines to coach at Michael Jordan's alma mater.

Welcome to Chapel Hill, Bill Belichick!

The eight-time Super Bowl Champion has officially been named our next @UNCFootball Head Coach. #GoHeels x #ChapelBill pic.twitter.com/cnngQI7gnC

— UNC Tar Heels (@GoHeels) December 12, 2024

So often, the players perform so well on the field that we forget about all the preparation coaches put in behind the scenes. It is very rare for coaches in any sport to have their own sports cards. To make these occurrences even more unique, we almost never see rookie head coaches get cards. But that’s exactly what Bill Belichick’s first cards are: rookie coaching cards from his “rookie year” as a head coach.

Belichick spent the first 16 years of his coaching career as an assistant on various teams. That changed in 1991, when he took the head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns. Since he never played in the league, his first cards as a coach are where collectors start. His debut came in the 1991 Pro Line Portraits set, where he appeared as card #115.

1991 Pro Line Portraits - [Base] #115 - Bill Belichick | Images Courtesy of COMC.com

The card he’s arguably more known for, however, is his 1991 Pro Set card. Both feature him in Browns gear. While these cards won’t break the bank, PSA 10 versions of the Pro Set card sell for around $220–$230.

1991 Pro Set - [Base] #126 - Bill Belichick | Images Courtesy of COMC.com

If you’re looking to spend a little more, Belichick was featured in the 2023 Topps Now Turn Back The Clock set. On some of the cards numbered to five and the 1/1, he included an inscription alongside his autograph, writing, “Tom can hit, but can he throw?”

2023 Topps Now X Belichick Turn Back the Clock Autograph Inscription Gold #BB1D Bill Belichick | Images Courtesy of Cardladder

Other famous coaches to have cards, but in most cases a lot of coaches were players before they got into coaches. For example Legendary coach Steve Kerr has a card in 1989-90 NBA Hoops, which ironically his future coach Phil Jackson had his first coaches card in that set. Jackson was of course also a player and had his player rookie card in 1972 Topps Basketball.

Not every coach is getting a coaching rookie card like Belichick and just as rare are the amount of head coaches that end up having even a percentage of the success he had. So while Tom Brady is up in the booth calling the games, Bill will be back on the sidelines coaching them onces again.