Bill Belichick tried his hand at coaching a new sport on Saturday, as the UNC football coach made a surprise cameo for the Savannah Bananas.
The exhibition baseball team played at the Tar Heels’ Kenan Memorial Stadium in front of more than 50,000 fans, and Belichick drew massive cheers from the crowd as he was introduced and walked onto the diamond.
The 73-year-old shook hands with a couple of players and quickly became part of humorous skit as he argued a double-play call at first base.
The former Patriots coach argued with the umpire and even threw a yellow challenge flag, with the Bananas runner ruled safe moments later.
The Bananas defeated the Tailgaters 6-5 to notch a victory in the game.
In his first season coaching UNC, Belichick oversaw just a 4-8 record (2-6 ACC) in Chapel Hill, as the team ended its season with three consecutive losses.
To add insult to injury, he was then shockingly snubbed from the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, with the eight-time Super Bowl winner (six as head coach) forced to wait at least one more year to see his name in Canton.
“I’m focused on coaching this team and focused on getting Carolina football to highest level I can,” Belichick told reporters at a press conference.
“That’s what I’ve always – I focus about what I can do, and things that are out of my control, I don’t worry about.”
In January, ESPN reported that Belichick was “puzzled and disappointed” at not getting the required 40 of 50 votes to get into the Hall.
Meanwhile, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and Adam Vinatieri were among those selected for the 2026 class.
Belichick will aim for better results in the 2026 season, with 247Sports ranking the Tar Heels’ recruiting class as the 19th-best in the nation.
UNC will open their season in Dublin against TCU on Aug. 29.
