Bill Parcells Finally Earns Spot in Patriots' Hall of Fame

When James Orthwein was looking for his next head coach, he wanted to make a splash. He had just bought the New England Patriots from Victor Kiam for $110 million, and was hoping to bring in a credible name who can help maneuver the team from Foxboro to St. Louis.

So of course, with the intention of making a splash, he landed "The Tuna."

The Patriots brought along Bill Parcells as their head coach in 1993 and now — at long last — the person who helped bring relevevance to a franchise is finally getting inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Along with wide receiver Julian Edelman, Parcells will be honored with a red jacket in a ceremony this weekend and his name hung up on the wall next to other New England legends.

"While both of us are alive ... I thought it would be great given what he's done for the team," Patriots CEO/Chairman Robert Kraft said back in April. "I am sure he would have been voted in eventually, but I wanted to expedite the process so he can enjoy the ceremony." The 84-year-old Parcells hasn't shied away from his public feud with Kraft, who decided to bury the hatchet and induct his former head coach in as a contributor.

It's about time. Right behind Bill Belichick, the Pro Football Hall of Famer is the best man to wear a headset for the Patriots. His $5.5 million contract turned over a new leaf for how the team operated paying its coaches, and his results (the 1996 AFC Championship) made the payment worth it. Though he went 34-34, he made the postseason twice and made fans across the country stop called them the "Patsies."

"I'm very honored. I am," Parcells told the Boston Globe after Kraft's announcement. "I don't take any of this stuff for granted. I've been fortunate with the Giants and the national Hall of Fame and then this one. That's three of them. That's a pretty humbling thing."

But again, like most people around New England remembered after Kraft made the announcement, there's the drama that transpired between the two men during his tenure. His famous quote about letting the front office "let you shop for some of the groceries" created a divide in how Parcells wanted to operate his team-building process. He called first-round receiver Terry Glenn "she" after an injury forced him to the side.

And following the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, Parcells — who had already worked out a way to join the New York Jets staff — took a separate flight home. It was this that led to a fanbase, who once adorned Parcells, to feel upset.

Jan 26, 1997; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New England Patriots head coach Bill Parcells reacts on the sideline against the Green Bay Packers for Super Bowl XXXI at the Superdome. The Packers defeated the Patriots 35-21. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

"Those things since have been resolved," Parcells said back in 2011 — when he was nominated for the Patriots Hall of Fame. "I think retrospectively, I would have handled things substantially different than I did. I was always saddened by the fact I had to leave there. In all honesty, I really didn't want to. I'm sure Bob (Kraft) would say something along those lines. We have talked about that ... I did regret that. That's life — you learn from things as you go on."

Parcells had been named a finalist for the Patriots Hall of Fame five previous times — 2011, 2012, 2014, 2020 and 2023. The fanbase, rightfully still miffed or not, decided to vote someone else for induction. That's why Kraft took it into his own hands.

"Bill Parcells was a coach who demanded excellence and toughness, but always recognized the heart and effort behind every play," former linebacker Marc Megna — who was drafted by Parcells with the New York Jets in 1999 told Patriots on SI. "Being drafted by him was an honor."

But it took way too long. The Patriots Hall of Fame is choked full of team history and whether or not fans wanted to accept the iffy parts of Parcells' coaching style, there likely wouldn't even be that big of a fanbase had he not showed up.

Players that played for Parcells spoke highly of him, and it's the reason why — no matter what his coaching career with the Patriots resulted in — he's worthy of this honor.

"Not very many people call me Michael," former Patriots tight end/long snapper Mike Bartrum told Patriots on SI. "My mother, my father, my wife and my mother in law. Coach Parcells still calls me Michael... At the end of the day, it's respect. And coach Parcells had all of our respect. He treated me differently than he treated, probably Drew Bledsoe or this guy or this guy. He knew how to do it. He knew how to relate to men."

Jan 26, 1997; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New England Patriots head coach Bill Parcells talks to an official against the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XXXI at the Superdome. The Packers defeated the Patriots 35-21. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Bartrum speaks highly of Parcells, who traded for him while he was injured in Green Bay. The head coach cut Steve DeOssie — his longtime long snapper with the Giants — to give Bartrum a chance to make the team. Even with a hurt ankle, Bartrum snapped the ball perfectly and earned a spot.

"His influence on me as a man, as a husband, as a father, means more than any Super Bowl," Bartrum said. "That's just who he is ... God bless him."

Parcells becomes the first head coach in Patriots history to be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame, and second after offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. The beef, Parcells said, is long gone.

“I personally feel that those days are over,” Parcells said. “Life’s too short for that kind of stuff. We haven’t interacted much, but I think we both pretty much feel the same way.”

At long last, the second-best head coach in New England Patriots history and the first-most deserving on the list of eligible inductees finally earns his spot. The iconic story Parcells told about how he earned his Tuna nickname can now be amended.

"When I was coaching with the Patriots, the players pulled a practical joke and I said, 'Do you think I'm Charlie the Tuna, like a sucker?' After that, they called me Tuna," Parcells quipped at the time.

Now — they can call him Patriots Hall of Famer.

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