Bill Parcells Takes Rightful Place in Patriots Hall of Fame

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Nearly a half-century ago, a young football coach named Bill Parcells joined the New England Patriots as a linebackers coach.

Serving one season under then head coach Ron Erhardt, general manager Bucko Kilroy and scouting director Mike Holovak, Parcells began to build the foundation for what would not only lead to his return to New England in 1993, but also to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.

With 45 years having now passed since that time, Parcells took his rightful place within the Patriots Hall of Fame during a weekend ceremony at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 20.

Well deserved, Coach Parcells 👏@TheHall | #NEPats pic.twitter.com/Eycy39F8SZ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 20, 2025

“This place has a place in my heart. It always will,” Parcells said while donning his Patriots hall of fame red jacket for the first time. “We sometimes reflect on things, and you wish you would have done things a little differently.

Well … when I come back here, and I see this, I wish I would have done things a little differently.”

Despite being best known for brining a level of legitimacy to a franchise largely devoid of success before his arrival, Parcells has become known as much for the acrimony with which he left the organization in 1996. In fact, both he and Patriots team owner Robert Kraft lived on opposite sides of a layer of tension between them. While both Kraft and Parcells, acknowledged their respect for each other’s contributions, the rancor over Parcells’ sudden jilting of the Patriots in the aftermath of Super Bowl XXXI remained in place for more than two decades.

However, both Kraft and Parcells justifiably decided that it was time to bury the proverbial hatchet.

“Over the years, we’ve mellowed … we have shared stories,” Kraft said. “But, thank you for the fight … thank you for the foundation and thank you for the many contributions you made to this franchise.”

Pats head coach Bill Parcells confers on the sideline with quarterback Drew Bledsoe. — ORG XMIT: Pats head coach Bill Parcells confers on the sideline with quarterback Drew Bledsoe during the game. Pats vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1/12/97. Journal photo by Glenn Osmundson. Old Pats 2 | Glenn Osmundson/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Parcells was named Parcells a 2025 Hall of Fame inductee as a contributor by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft on April 1. Known colloquially as the “Big Tuna,” he served as head coach of the Patriots from 1993 to 1996 — helping restore “credibility and competitive success to a struggling franchise” per Patriots media relations. In 1994, he led the Patriots on a season-ending seven-game win streak to secure their first playoff berth in eight years. The performance earned Parcells NFL Coach of the Year honors.

After finishing 6-10 in 1995, the Patriots rebounded with an 11-win season in 1996, tying the then franchise record for wins and earning their first division title in a decade. After a convincing, 28-3, victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional playoff game at Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots hosted their first AFC Championship game and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-6, to reach Super Bowl XXXI. It marked just the second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

A Pro Football Hall of Famer (Class of 2013), Parcells is the only head coach in NFL history to lead four different teams to the playoffs and three different teams to a conference championship game. He is also a member of the Patriots 1990s All-Decade Team.

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