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Ernie Adams named interim football coach at Phillips Andover
Adams and Bill Belichick were classmates at the school in the 1970s. Now, the former Belichick confidant will be a head coach for the first time.
Ernie Adams returns to Phillips Andover: A face familiar to most New England football fans will be strolling the sidelines for Phillips Andover’s football team in 2026.
Ernie Adams, the longtime Patriots research director and Bill Belichick confidant, has accepted the role of interim varsity football coach in a surprising move.
“This is definitely an interim appointment,” the 72-year-old Adams told the Boston Globe on Tuesday. “The school is going to do a comprehensive search for a younger, full-time football coach after the season, so I am here for this year.”
Adams will replace Trey Brown, who coached the school to a 2-7 record in 2025.
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His connection to the school goes back decades to when he was a classmate of Belichick’s (Adams graduated in 1971). Both played on the football team.
More recently, Adams began spending time at the school following his retirement from the Patriots in 2021, helping to coach in a part-time capacity. It will be his first head coaching role despite a lifetime spent in and around football.
Trivia: What author, known for an iconic book about football, graduated Phillips Andover one year after Adams?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Friday Night Lights.
Scores and schedules:
Today at 3:10 p.m., USA men’s hockey will face Sweden in the Olympic quarterfinals.
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Tomorrow at 1:10 p.m., USA women’s hockey will face Canada in the gold medal game.
Also on Thursday, the Celtics return from the NBA All-Star break to face the Warriors on the road at 10 p.m.
On Saturday, the Revolution open the 2026 MLS regular season in Nashville at 8:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
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- Drake Maye refused to make excuses, but after rewatching the Super Bowl, it’s clear he played hurt and it affected him
- Cardi B appears to confirm Stefon Diggs split at L.A. concert
- Quirky curling has turned into a betting magnet at the Milan Cortina Olympics
- What Jarren Duran said of trade rumors, reps at DH with Red Sox
- What experts are saying about a possible Patriots trade for Maxx Crosby
Connecticut’s own: Mac Forehand added to his Olympic medal haul by winning silver in the men’s big air competition. Forehand, a Norwalk native from Connecticut, finished second behind Norway’s Tormod Frostad.
A very good Olympic update: During a cross country skiing competition at the Olympics on Wednesday, a dog wandered onto the course.
On this day: In 1985, the Celtics rolled past the Jazz 110-94. Larry Bird came within a fraction of an incredible basketball achievement: the quadruple-double. Bird finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and nine steals. He chose to finish his night after just 33 minutes, resisting the urge to chase a final steal.
“I already did enough damage,” Bird told reporters, per the Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy. “Why go for it when we’re up by 30?”
Daily highlight: Mikeala Shiffrin emphatically ended her Olympic drought by demolishing the field in slalom on Wednesday, posting a ridiculous 1.5 second margin of victory (equal to the combined margins of victory in the preceding seven women’s Olympic slaloms).
Trivia answer: Buzz Bissinger
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