The news of Bill Belichick's departure from the New England Patriots came as a surprise to few after the six-time Super Bowl champions finished the season 4-13 — their worst finish during Belichick's tenure.
Still, as the second-winningest coach in NFL history, he leaves a nearly unmatched legacy, as well as a fanbase whose dedication runs deep.
Here are some of the ways Patriots fans have shown their devotion to their greatest head coach throughout his storied career.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
NHL goalie's Winter Classic helmet
In January 2016, Gillette Stadium hosted its first NHL Winter Classic outdoor ice hockey game, with the Boston Bruins welcoming the Montreal Canadiens to Foxborough.
Mike Condon, a former Canadiens goalie from Newton, Massachusetts, honored Belichick by plastering the head coach’s portrait and four Lombardi trophies (it was accurate at the time!) across the back plate of the helmet that he customized for the event. Tom Brady was depicted, too, and both Patriots legends appeared to have signed their images.
Bill the bovine
In January 2018, shortly before Super Bowl LI, where the Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons for their fifth Super Bowl victory, a University of Vermont student was tasked with naming a newborn calf at the school’s dairy education barn.
Hoping the cow would grow to be "big and strong," then-sophomore Age Desranleau dubbed the animal Belichick.
Knock knock...
Inspired by his recent viewing of "The Christmas Carol," where Ebenezer Scrooge’s deceased, long-time business partner Jacob Marley appears to the protagonist as a door-knocker, Rhode Island-based artist Palmer Murphy immortalized Belichick’s signature hooded scowl with one of the devices in early 2018.
Glow up
Boston-based tailor Alan Rouleau elevated Belichick’s wardrobe from his characteristic cut-off sweats to custom suits — even convincing him to don a pocket square.
Legends in LEGO
After an elementary school in Peabody commissioned North Andover artist Rob Surrette to design a mural representing the school’s motto, "Aim high...together we will fly," Surrette enlisted the help of the school’s students in building a LEGO portrait that depicts either Belichick or Brady depending on the angle from which you view the work.
Tattoos... so many tattoos
Throughout the years, many Patriots fans have proudly declared their fandom by inking a portrait of Belichick on their own skin, but one Bridgewater resident went so far as to compare his brilliance to that Albert Einstein, Boston.com reported.
