Getty Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Linda Holliday have dated for more than a decade.
It is no surprise that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has no desire to be on social media. However, his longtime girlfriend, Linda Holliday, is a different story, and provides fans a glimpse into Bill’s life away from football. From the couple’s photo shoot with Nantucket Magazine to apple picking excursions, Linda is able to pull out a different side of Bill, who is known for being a man with few words for the media.
Bill also remains close with his three children, who have all followed him into the coaching profession. Prior to dating Linda, Bill was married for 28 years to Debby Clarke, prior to the before the couple separated in 2004.
Bill was introduced to coaching at a young age as the son of a football coach. He has been outspoken about his admiration for his parents, and their role in helping him shape his coaching philosophy.
Learn more about Bill’s girlfriend, Linda, and the family that keeps the Patriots coach grounded.
1. The Couple Has Been Dating for More Than a Decade
It may be hard to imagine Bill at a nightclub, but the Sunshine State News reported that’s how Linda and Bill met. The couple began dating shortly after they met in 2007, and have been together for more than a decade.
Growing up in Tennessee, Linda was familiar with football, but mostly college football inside SEC territory.
“You can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl,” Linda told Boston.com.
Linda’s relationship with Bill has provided fans a small glimpse into the coach’s softer side. For example, Linda detailed Bill’s singing voice in an interview with Nantucket Magazine.
“I’ll tell you something about Bill,” Linda told Nantucket Magazine. “He can sing. And he can sing well. You won’t hear it. You won’t see it. But he can sing well.”
2. Linda Serves as the Executive Director of the Bill Belichick Foundation, & Is a Former Boutique Clothing Store Owner
According to Nantucket Magazine, Linda was formerly a television personality and boutique clothing store owner. She is now the executive director of the Bill Belichick Foundation, an organization that helps young people all over the world. The foundation began on Bill’s sixtieth birthday when the Patriots coach asked friends for donations rather than traditional birthday gifts.
The organization started awarding scholarships at Bill’s alma mater Annapolis High School, but has expanded to have a global reach. Bill explained to Nantucket Magazine what the foundation focuses on.
“We built a field in Uganda,” Bill told Nantucket Magazine. “We’re in foreign countries. We’re national and we’re local. In particular, we try to help out Boston’s underprivileged lacrosse teams.”
3. Bill’s Parents Met While Working at Hiram College
According to Hiram.edu, Bill’s parents met while working for the college in the 1940’s. Steve Belichick was the head football coach, and also coached basketball along with track. Jeannette Belichick taught Spanish and French. The couple got married in 1950. The family had a typical life for those involved in the coaching profession, moving all over the country. Steve took assistant coaching positions at Vanderbilt and the University of North Carolina.
Steve would later accept a coaching position at Navy, and the couple ended up as long-time residents of Annapolis, Maryland. Jeannette now lives in Northeast Ohio, while Steve passed away in 2005.
In 2015, Bill made a donation to Hiram as a way to honor his parents. Hiram noted the donation would be used in three main ways.
The Coach Steve Belichick Olympic Training Center, naming the facility in the Les and Kathy Coleman Sports, Recreation and Fitness Center…the Jeannette Munn Belichick ’42 Reading Room, naming the space on the first floor of the Hiram College Library…the Jeannette Munn Belichick ’42 Endowed Fund, which will provide support for the Hiram College Library in purchasing books and other resources related to foreign languages.
4. All 3 of Bill’s Children Are Involved in Coaching & His Two Sons, Steve & Brian, Are on the Patriots Coaching Staff
GettyBill Belichick walks with his son Steve Belichick, who is also on the Patriots coaching staff.
According to NBC Sports, Bill, like his own father, tried to advise his children to look for a profession other than coaching. It had the exact opposite effect as all three of his children are involved in sports. His oldest son, Steve, is the Patriots safeties coach after playing both lacrosse and football at Rutgers. Bill’s youngest son, Brian, also joined the Patriots coaching staff as an assistant during the 2017 off-season after previously working in New England’s scouting department. His daughter, Amanda, is the head coach for the Holy Cross women’s lacrosse team.
While Bill explained to his children the rigors of coaching, he is okay with how things turned out as he explained to NBC Sports.
I got some advice from my dad and I passed that along to my kids. My dad’s advice was to not get into coaching…They are in what they do because that is what they want to do. It’s not my decision. I don’t try to guide them into it, I don’t try to guide them out of it. I try to help them the best I can like any father would try to do for his children. Ultimately, when they become adults and they are ready to make their own decisions then they have a green light to make them. If they ask for my advice I will certainly give them the fatherly advice, the best that I can. But in the end, they are the ones that have to live that.
5. Bill Became a Grandfather in 2016 After the Birth of Blakely Rose Belichick
Bill began a typical media conference call in a non-traditional way in 2016 as he provided a bit of personal news. ESPN recounted the story of Bill announcing to the media that he was a grandfather.
We have a roster addition to announce this morning, which is a little different than the usual one. The emphasis would be on little. We can add newborn Blakely Rose to the depth chart. She was born this morning to my son Steve and the real MVP, Jen. So this is a happy and exciting day for all of us.
Steve, who now has a young son of his own, admits being a coach is not easy on family life. He spoke with The Ringer’s Kevin Clark on what he saw growing up as a coach’s son.
I don’t know if anyone will understand what those headlines in newspapers really do to families. It’s hard, obviously, everyone in the NFL signs up for these jobs and understands the pressures. But some things are more necessary than others. … One thing I’ve learned from my dad is we don’t do it for the media, we do it because we love it. We don’t it for the press conferences, which is maybe why other coaches do it.