Bill Belichick made sure to win over North Carolina fans early in his first news conference.

The former New England Patriots coach was introduced as the Tar Heels’ head coach on Thursday. The start of the press conference leaned heavily into the time that Belichick’s father, Steve, spent at North Carolina as an assistant. Belichick was a toddler when his father was at UNC, and he said he remembered hearing a famous family story about himself as a young child after holding up an old sweatshirt of his father’s at the podium.

“Billy’s first words were ‘beat Duke,’” Belichick said.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is just the second coach to take a college head coaching job after winning championships in the NFL along with Bill Walsh. Belichick, who spent the 2023 season out of coaching, said that he’s always wanted to coach college football and followed that with a deadpan line.

“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football and it just never really worked out,” Belichick said. “Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK.”

Belichick also made it clear that he doesn’t plan on leaving for the NFL and another shot in the pros. He signed a five-year deal with the school and was asked about a scenario where he coaches for a couple of seasons at North Carolina before going back to the NFL.

“I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick said.

The 2025 season will be the 30th for Belichick as a head coach. Before 24 seasons with the Patriots, Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for five seasons.

When asked why he wanted to continue to keep working, Belichick said that he didn’t feel like coaching football was work.

“Beats working,” Belichick said. “When you love what you do — my dad told me this — when you love what you do it’s not work. I love what I do. I love coaching, I love the interaction with players, I love building a team. Assistants, game-planning, the game itself.”

Belichick is replacing Mack Brown at North Carolina. Brown was one of just three active head coaches — along with Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Georgia’s Kirby Smart — who had previously won a national title. Brown was in his second stint at North Carolina and was fired with a game to go in the regular season.

Former Browns interim coach and current UNC assistant Freddie Kitchens has been appointed the team’s interim coach for the Fenway Bowl. Belichick said that Kitchens would be his first hire to his coaching staff for the 2025 season.