WATCH: Patriots HC Bill Belichick pulled up an ‘iconic’ Navy helmet from the ’60s minutes before the Army-Navy game

Bill Belichick had a reason to pick Navy for the win.

WATCH: Patriots HC Bill Belichick pulled up an ‘iconic’ Navy helmet from the ’60s minutes before the Army-Navy game

Bill Belichick at the Navy vs. Army game in Boston (Image via screengrab YouTube)

After a shocking midweek win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Belichick made a special appearance yesterday before the annual Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, Army Black Knights vs. Navy Midshipmen game at Gillette Stadium in Boston. It was a nice change of pace for the veteran New England Patriots head coach, who was in a rare jovial mood.

Belichick joined Pat McAfee on the ESPN college football panel and took part in the voting of which team between the Army and the Navy would take home the bragging rights. When it was the 71-year-old’s turn to pick his team, he reached out under the table and brought a helmet to pay homage to coach Lee Corso.

YouTube video
Coach, I'm going to take a page out of your book here. I am going to go with this 1962 [Navy football helmet].
Bill Belichick

Then he pointed to the sticker in front of the headgear and said,

This is the jolly rodger. Beat Army in Chinese: For Paul Diesel's Chinese Army. Go Navy and beat Army.

Why did Bill Belichick choose the Navy to win over the Army?

Before becoming the head coach of the New England Patriots and winning seven Super Bowls, Bill Belichick grew up in the Navy Academy Football program in Annapolis, Maryland. His father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach for the Midshipmen from 1956–89.

WATCH: Patriots HC Bill Belichick pulled up an ‘iconic’ Navy helmet from the ’60s minutes before the Army-Navy game
Bill Belichick (Image via ESPN)

However, he never attended the Navy; he went to Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut. Belichick played as a center and occasionally as a tight end for the Cardinals. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1975. In 2008, WU made him the inaugural member of the Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2008.

The Saturday night game between the Navy and Army came down to the wire. Going into the contest, both sides had an identical 5-6 record in 2023. However, Knights were the ones with history on their side. They had won five of the last seven games in the series since 2016.

Last season, Army won 20-17 in a double-overtime thriller. It was the first overtime game in the fixture in 123 ties. OT wasn’t required this time around, but it came close. The Army went into the fourth quarter with a 17-3 lead. With 5 minutes left on the clock, Navy’s Kalib Fortner recorded a 44-yard punt return and then a safety to reduce the game to just 6 points. But the Knights held on to win 17-11.

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