Like so many other young Americans, Steve Belichick answered the call to duty after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, joining the Navy in December 1941.
Belichick was wrapping up his rookie season as a fullback with the Detroit Lions, but a career in pro football could wait. Belichick was heading off to fight in World War II.
After joining the Navy, Belichick completed boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes, north of Chicago, and trained with the base’s football team. He became an officer, serving in both Europe and the Pacific.
Following the war, Belichick returned to his passion – football. His first coaching stop was at Hiram College, a small liberal arts school in Ohio, before becoming an assistant at Vanderbilt, North Carolina, and then the U.S. Naval Academy, spending more than 30 years in Annapolis.
Keeping Veteran Flame Alive
If Belichick’s name sounds familiar, it’s because his son, Bill Belichick, would go on to become one of the most decorated coaches of all time, winning eight Super Bowl rings as both an assistant coach and head coach.
Belichick has always been fond of his military roots, and on Veterans Day, the North Carolina head coach was proud to show off a new memorial in Chapel Hill honoring veterans with connections to the Tar Heel football program. The memorial, called “Honoring Our Military, is on display inside the Kenan Football Center. Belichick came up with the idea for the memorial and suggested it to North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts after he was hired to coach UNC last December.
The wall includes players’ names, their position, years they attended UNC, and their service years.
Sixty-one names grace the memorial, including Tar Heel legends Chris Hanburger and Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice. Justice, a World War II veteran, served in the Navy (1942-46) and suited up at running back for the Tar Heels from 1946-49. “Choo Choo” was a backfield threat, finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting twice.
Hanburger, an Army veteran, served from 1960-62. The rugged Hanburger was a two-way player, logging time at both center and linebacker at UNC from 1962-64. Drafted by Washington, he enjoyed a 14-year career in the NFL and reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Program Has Strong Military Tradition
Calling it a “work in progress,” Belichick said more players and coaches will be added to the memorial, including his father, who coached at UNC in the mid-1950s.
“The names that we have listed on our wall [are] not complete,” Belichick told WRAL News.
The memorial also features two current members of the program, Mike Priefer, UNC special teams coach, and Trent Baker, assistant director of sports performance. Priefer graduated from the Naval Academy in 1989 and was in the Navy through 1997. Baker spent more than 20 years, 2001-2023, as part of the Navy SEALS.
In a statement, Baker said the nation’s military history and North Carolina football are “inextricably linked.”
“I hope the stories embedded in this wall get told for generations to come,” Baker said.
Belichick said the memorial is a fitting tribute that extends beyond just football.
“When people come back here, I want them to feel that we appreciate their contributions and recognize them, whether it was in the military, whether it’s their playing career, whether it’s their academics,” Belichick said. “We have various awards and recognition for what our student-athletes do, not just on the football field, but academically or in the military, or in community service. It’s just part of who we are, and that’s what we’re proud of. We’re proud of football accomplishments, but [there are] other things, too, that should be recognized.”
The Veterans Day unveiling included Chancellor Roberts, military members, and other UNC officials. Roberts said in a statement that the memorial reflects North Carolina’s appreciation of service and honor.
“It ensures that generations of Tar Heels will remember those who served both on the gridiron and on behalf of our great nation,” Roberts said. “We are proud to be part of recognizing their service.”
Post-War Football Boom
Belichick spent his childhood in the shadow of the Naval Academy. Since becoming the UNC head coach, Belichick said he’s tried to emphasize to his team the importance of military anniversaries and how to approach veterans with respect and dignity. He’s invited both Baker and Priefer to speak to the players about their service time.
In a larger context, Belichick views the memorial as another way to honor athletes who’ve built the program.
“The program is here,” he said. “It’s established. It’s got a tradition and history long before I got here. I want to recognize those people who, again, like Lawrence Taylor and [Julius] Peppers and Hanburger and so forth and Choo Choo and all the great players and people [who] have been here. I think they deserve to be recognized. I really do.”
“Just because a player signs here and comes in here, this program is here whether that guy comes here or not. This program is here whether I’m here or not. So, it’s about recognizing the program and showing appreciation to the people who built it.”
At Tuesday’s event, Belichick went in-depth about the post-World War II football boom. Prior to the war, football was largely a regional endeavor. With no television sets yet to watch the action, Americans relied mostly on newspapers for game coverage. But with so many football players turned soldiers sharing coaching techniques during the war, the game grew exponentially in the two decades following World War II.
“World War II was an explosion for football, college and pro, in terms of ideas, networking, communication, and it became more of a national, instead of a regional, sport,” Belichick said.
