To Hoodie or Not to Hoodie? A Look at Bill Belichick’s Gameday Attire

Bill Belichick’s wardrobe of hoodies has taken on a life of its own over the years, and the numbers show the Patriots’ success differs depending on the attire of their coach. Barry Chin/Globe Staff

By Jeff Pini

November 1, 2014

1 minute to read

For those searching for some pregame clues as to how the Patriots will fare against the Broncos on Sunday, look no further than the attire of one William Stephen Belichick.

The hooded sweatshirts of the Patriots coach have taken on a life of their own over the years, especially the grey hoodie with the sleeves cut off that Belichick has made famous during New England’s tenure as one of the top teams in the NFL. The hoodie even inspired an advertisement for Gillette razors in the summer of 2013.

But how do the Patriots perform when Belichick changes up his wardrobe? Last year, Pats Propaganda’s Mike Dussault compiled a list of the Patriots records since 2003 corresponding to Belichick’s outerwear, which showed that far and away the Patriots’ most success came when Belichick wore grey.

In a spreadsheet Dussault posted to Twitter, the list has been updated to include the past two seasons, where it can be seen that a blue hoodie has become a favorite of Belichick’s, as he has worn a grey hoodie just twice over the past 26 games, including the playoffs.

Since the beginning of this season, Belichick has been pretty consistent, coaching six of the eight games the Patriots have played wearing a blue hoodie with sleeves, while working the sidelines in a blue short sleeve top in Weeks 1 and 6.

Of the hundreds of games tracked, the most infamous attire Belichick has ever worn was the red hoodie he donned for Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants. That proved to be a poor decision, as the 18-0 Patriots were taken down in perhaps the greatest Super Bowl upset ever, and the red hoodie has now become synonymous with that historic loss.

With these numbers in mind, Patriots fans showing up to Gillette Stadium on Sunday would hope to see Belichick sporting his trusted grey hoodie, as the Pats have an .797 winning percentage in games he wears grey – sleeves or no sleeves.