Belichick Played for Rutgers, Now Out to Beat His Alma Mater

The UW defensive coordinator spent one season as a long snapper for the Scarlet Knights.

Steve Belichick was part of Rutgers 2011 football team, though he didn't appear in any games. / Rutgers

At Rutgers, he was known as Stephen Belichick while a member of the 2011 football team. as a walk-on long snapper, as someone who presented himself a little more formal in approach, though his hair was as long as its ever been.

He came to the Scarlet Knights as the son of a famous NFL coach, but he was afforded no special privileges, certainly no playing time, because of his bloodlines.

After four seasons with the Rutgers lacrosse team, which was his primary sport, Belichick joined the football team as a 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior. He wore No. 16. He shared in a 9-4 season that ended up in the Pinstripe Bowl against Iowa State at Yankee Stadium. He never appeared in a game. Nonetheless, he came away with good feelings.

"I had a great time," he said. "I really appreciate Coach [Greg] Schiano and the guys who were there with me. It was an awesome experience.. Yeah, I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Thirteen years later, young Belichick, 37, returns to Piscataway, New Jersey, as a football opponent, as the defensive coordinator for the University of Washington and coach Jedd Fisch, for a Friday night game that will be televised nationally by FOX.

Belichick and Fisch each are New Jersey natives, born in Summit and Livingston, respectively, adding to the coziness of this football game.

For that matter, Belichick will try to beat the man he played for in Schiano, now in his second Rutgers coaching stint since returning in 2020. His first tour began in 2001 and lasted 11 seasons.

Bill and Steve Belichick share in Rutgers' Pinstripe Bowl appearance in 2011. / Rutgers

Schiano and Belichick left the Scarlet Knights at the same time for the NFL -- Schano became the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2012 and 2013 seasons while Belichick went to work for his father in 2012 as a coaching assistant with the New England Patriots and what would be a dozen-year stay.

The older Belichick often traveled the 235 miles from the Boston area to Rutgers to watch his son play lacrosse, even wore gear from that team to his news conferences, and he posed for postgame photos with Steve at the Pinstripe Bowl.

Schiano, in a Providence Journal story, told how Belichick ended up on his team, with them coming to an agreement that he should play one sport at a time.

Steve Belichick was a Rutgers long snapper in 2011. / Rutgers

"Stephen early on, when he was deciding to come to Rutgers, talked to me about playing football," the coach said. "He was coming to play lacrosse, so we decided it would be best for him to get his feet on the ground there, so it never materialized until his lacrosse career was over."

Steve Belichick came to Rutgers from The Rivers School in Weston, Mass., where he played both sports, spending time at linebacker, tight end, fullback and long snapper on his high school football team.

All niceties between the alum and his old team will be pushed aside once the teams kick off at 8 p.m. ET at Rutgers.

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