Patriots Legend Named Interim HC At Local HS

A familiar face for the New England Patriots will be picking up the headset again, this time for his high school alma mater.

Phillips Academy (Andover) will be having Ernie Adams — who spent a two-decade run as the Patriots' director of football research from 2000 to 2021 — take over as the interim head coach of the football program. Adams, who was a graduate of Phillips Academy in 1971, has always kept close ties to the school after his retirement from the NFL.

Adams, a 1971 Phillips graduate, is known for his tenure with the New England Patriots as the organization’s former director of football research. He spent two separate stints with the franchise between 1975-1978 as an offensive assistant, and more notably between 2000-2021 in his latest role, during which the Patriots captured six Super Bowl titles. He was a close ally of legendary Patriots coach Bill Belichick, also a former Phillips alum.

"Ernie certainly would say that the impact, and his connection to not only Andover football, but Phillips Academy is six decades long," Phillips Academy athletic director Lisa Joel told The Boston Herald. "So, for those who know Ernie, and Ernie himself, they would say a long journey took him here. He’s been involved with the football program for the last couple of years. For us, it just seemed like the right time, and the right opportunity for Ernie to accept the offer to spend this fall as the interim coach for the 2026 season."

Ernie Adams Becomes Head Coach at Bill Belichick's High School

Phillips Academy is also the alma mater of former New England head coach Bill Belichick, who was a close ally of Adams throughout their careers at the professional level. It's well documented the two's friendship and how it began playing high school football together. Adams, who turns 73 this year, also had a stint with the Patriots as an offensive coaching assistant in the 1970s before joining Belichick in both New York and Cleveland.

Adams was often considered a mystery man in New England, only known personally by few -- but beloved by the fanbase. He would roam the sidelines pregame before heading up to the coaches box to communicate with Belichick's headset each week. Now the six-time Super Bowl champion will be coaching on the sidelines that he used to play football on.

Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores talks with New England Patriots Director of Football Research Ernie Adams prior to the game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

"They are so excited," Joel told the Herald. "Who wouldn’t be? Ernie is a legend, with a legendary reputation and a brilliant football mind. I think what the kids really appreciate of course, is that they share that passion of football. They understand what he brings. But most of all, what he connects with them on, is that he understands it in the context of being an Andover student. I think the sum of all that is really thrilling for the kids and for their families. It seems like a really fantastic moment for the program."

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