List of New England Patriots head coaches explained

The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They are a member of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team began as the Boston Patriots in the American Football League, a league which merged with the National Football League before the 1970 season.[1]

There have been 15 head coaches for the Patriots franchise. Lou Saban became the first coach of the Patriots in 1960, although he was fired part way through their second season.[2] The 15th and current head coach is Jerod Mayo, who was hired in 2024.[3] Mayo replaced longtime head coach Bill Belichick, who led the team for more regular season games (387), post-season games (41) and complete seasons (24) than any other head coach. His 266 wins with the Patriots are far and away the most in franchise history, more than five times those of runner-up Mike Holovak. Belichick also led the team to nine of their eleven Super Bowl appearances, winning six of them. Holovak, Raymond Berry and Bill Parcells all led the Patriots to league championship games, with only one (Holovak) failing to reach the Super Bowl. Five Patriots head coaches, Holovak, Chuck Fairbanks, Berry, Parcells, and Belichick, have been named coach of the year by at least one major news organization. Additionally, Raymond Berry and Bill Parcells are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with Berry being inducted in 1973, and Parcells in 2013.[4] [5] Twice in Patriots history there were "interim" head coaches. In 1972, John Mazur resigned with five games left in the season.[6] Phil Bengtson was named as the interim head coach for the rest of the season, during which he only won one game, and he was not made the permanent coach the next year. In 1978, head coach Fairbanks secretly made a deal to leave the team to coach the University of Colorado Buffaloes while he was still coaching the Patriots. Team owner Billy Sullivan suspended Fairbanks for the final game of the regular season, stating "You cannot serve two masters," and Ron Erhardt and Hank Bullough took co-head coaching responsibilities for that game.[7] Fairbanks was reinstated when the team qualified for the playoffs, and he lost the first playoff game, his last for the Patriots. Since Dick MacPherson, the Patriots have had only 4 coaches in 32 seasons.

Key

Number of coaches
GCGames coached
WWins
LLosses
TTies
Win%Winning percentage
†Elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a coach
‡Elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player
Spent entire NFL head coaching career with the Patriots

Coaches

Note: Statistics are accurate through the end of the 2023 NFL season.

ImageNameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwardsReference
GCWLTWin%GCWL
Boston Patriots
1Lou Saban1960–1961197120.368–––[8]
2Mike Holovak1961–196810752469.528211UPI AFL Coach of the Year (1966)[9] [10]
3Clive Rush1969–1970215160.238–––[11]
4John Mazur19707160–––
New England Patriots
—John Mazur1971–1972238150–––
5Phil Bengtson1972[12] 5140.200–––[13]
6Chuck Fairbanks1973–1978[14] 8546390.541202UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1976)[15] Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (1976)[16]
7Ron Erhardt1979–1981[17] 4921280.428–––[18]
8Ron Meyer1982–19843318150.545101[19]
9Raymond Berry *‡1984–1989*8748390.551532UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1985)
AFC Championship (1985)		[20] [21]
10Rod Rust1990161150.062–––[22]
11Dick MacPherson1991–1992328240.250–––[23]
12Bill Parcells†1993–19966432320.500422AP NFL Coach of the Year (1994)
Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of the Year (1994)
Maxwell Football Club NFL Coach of the Year (1994)
UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1994)
AFC Championship (1996)		[24] [25]
13Pete Carroll1997–19994827210.562312[26]
14Bill Belichick2000–20233872661210413012AP NFL Coach of the Year (2003, 2007, 2010)
Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (2003)
Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of the Year (2003)
Maxwell Football Club NFL Coach of the Year (2007)
PFWA Executive of the Year (2021)
6 Super Bowl Championships (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018)
9 AFC Championships (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018)		[27] [28]
15Jerod Mayo2024–present0000.000–––[29]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Boston Patriots . May 13, 2008 . Pro Football Hall of Fame . June 4, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080604135922/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/team.jsp?FRANCHISE_ID=19 . live .
  2. Web site: Buffalo Bills . May 13, 2008 . Pro Football Hall of Fame . June 4, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080604135926/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/team.jsp?FRANCHISE_ID=4 . live .
  3. Web site: January 12, 2024 . Patriots hire ex-LB Mayo as Belichick successor . January 12, 2024 . ESPN.com . en . January 12, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240112135450/https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39293221/patriots-hire-jerod-mayo-replace-bill-belichick-sources-say . live .
  4. Web site: Raymond Berry profile . Pro Football Hall of Fame . April 24, 2008 . May 6, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080506052302/http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=25 . live .
  5. Web site: Bill Parcells Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 12, 2024 . pfhof . en . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111225229/https://www.profootballhof.com/players/bill-parcells/ . live .
  6. News: For Mazur, the scars remain . May 14, 2008 . Grossfeld . Stan . December 1, 2005 . . October 24, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024115213/http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2005/12/01/for_mazur_the_scars_remain/?page=1 . live .
  7. News: Butt of jokes to last laugh . April 26, 2008 . Borges . Ron . . July 24, 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20040724051437/http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/superbowl/globe_stories/020502/butt_of_jokes_to_last_laugh+.shtml . live .
  8. Web site: Lou Saban . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930122642/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=SABANLOU01 . September 30, 2007 .
  9. Book: Gruver, Ed. The American Football League: A Year-by-year History, 1960–1969. McFarland & Company. Jefferson, North Carolina. 1997. 276. 0-7864-0399-3.
  10. Web site: Mike Holovak . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111122010823/http://databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=HOLOVMIK01 . November 22, 2011 .
  11. Web site: Clive Rush . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070210235935/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=RUSHCLI01 . February 10, 2007 .
  12. Phil Bengtson was the interim head coach for five games during the 1972 season.
  13. Web site: New England Patriots (1960–present) . Phil Bengtson . May 14, 2008 . sports e-cyclopedia . April 17, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070417052124/http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/nengalnd/patriots.html . live .
  14. Chuck Fairbanks was suspended for the last game of the 1978 regular season. He was reinstated for the playoffs, and lost in the first round.
  15. Web site: Chuck Fairbanks Head Coach. April 24, 2008. New England Patriots. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110519104959/http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=1030. May 19, 2011.
  16. Web site: Chuck Fairbanks . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060530182616/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=FAIRBCHU01 . May 30, 2006 .
  17. Ron Erhardt's record includes one game where he shared head coaching duties with Hank Bullough during Chuck Fairbanks 1978 suspension. His first official year as head coach of the Patriots was 1979.
  18. Web site: Ron Erhardt . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060526155009/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=ERHARRON01 . May 26, 2006 .
  19. Web site: Ron Meyer . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070208112828/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=MEYERRON01 . February 8, 2007 .
  20. Web site: Raymond Berry . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929211639/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=BERRYRAY01 . September 29, 2007 .
  21. Web site: Raymond Berry . Pro-Football-Reference . Sports Reference LLC . December 31, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081230004440/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/BerrRa0.htm . December 30, 2008 .
  22. Web site: Rod Rust . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111121070408/http://databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=RUSTROD01 . November 21, 2011 .
  23. Web site: Dick MacPherson . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111121012944/http://databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=MACPHDIC01 . November 21, 2011 .
  24. Web site: Bill Parcells . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071224225231/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=PARCEBIL01 . December 24, 2007 .
  25. Web site: Bill Parcells. Pro-Football-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. December 31, 2008. June 4, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110604163540/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/ParcBi0.htm. live.
  26. Web site: Pete Carroll . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070209045703/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=CARROPET01 . February 9, 2007 .
  27. Web site: Bill Belichick . April 23, 2008 . databaseSports.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071225101739/http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=BELICBIL01 . December 25, 2007 .
  28. Web site: Bill Belichick Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks. Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. January 8, 2024. February 10, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100210013820/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/BeliBi0.htm. live.
  29. Web site: January 12, 2024 . Patriots hire ex-LB Mayo as Belichick successor . January 13, 2024 . ESPN.com . en . January 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240113000657/https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39293221/patriots-hire-jerod-mayo-replace-bill-belichick-sources-say . live .

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