Bill Belichick has often spoken of his affection for the Naval Academy and the sport of lacrosse, so it surely means a lot to him that he’ll be honored at an upcoming Navy lacrosse game.
Belichick, who grew up in Annapolis while his dad was an assistant coach at Navy, will be presented the key to the city from Annapolis mayor Gavin Buckley at halftime of the Navy-Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse game on Saturday.
“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by Mayor Buckley and the City of Annapolis,” Belichick said, via the Capital Gazette. “I would like to thank Admiral Buck [the superintendent of the Naval Academy] and Chet Gladchuk [Navy’s athletic director] for allowing me to receive the key in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. I loved the years I spent growing up in Annapolis and at the Naval Academy and I always look forward to returning.”
Buckley praised Belichick for his loyalty to Annapolis and to the Naval Academy, noting that Belichick had planned to attend the Navy-Johns Hopkins game before he knew he was going to be honored there, just because he wanted to see a good game. (Navy and Johns Hopkins are longtime lacrosse rivals who have now resumed their rivalry after briefly not playing each other when they moved into different conferences.)
“I simply love the fact the winningest coach in NFL history comes back to Annapolis to watch college lacrosse,” Buckley said. “There is something about this city that keeps people grounded and I’d like to think that growing up here played a role in the success he has found throughout his life.”
Beichick’s father, Steve Belichick, began coaching at Navy when Bill was 4 years old and remained there for more than 30 years.
