New England Patriots

Bill Belichick attends Northwestern women’s lacrosse game, visits longtime connection

Belichick spending his free time at a lacrosse event makes perfect sense.

Bill Belichick and Northwestern head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller have known each other since 2007. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Outside of football, Bill Belichick’s other love is lacrosse.

He played the sport in high school and college, as did all three of his children. Belichick’s daughter, Amanda, even coaches women’s lacrosse at Holy Cross.

Belichick famously enjoyed mentioning lacrosse during Patriots press conferences and even brought on former players, such as Chris Hogan, to play for New England.

Naturally, as he experiences his first year in decades without a NFL coaching job, Belichick spent his Saturday attending Northwestern University’s women’s lacrosse game against Ohio State.

In a photo shared on the program’s X account, the former New England head coach stood with the Wildcats’ head coach, Kelly Amonte Hiller. Belichick and Amonte Hiller donned matching Northwestern jackets and purple hats.

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The pair have known each other for nearly two decades. Originally explained in a 2008 story by the Chicago Tribune, they first spoke when Amonte Hiller attempted to get into contact with Belichick in 2007.

Northwestern was entering the NCAA tournament as two-time defending champions and she wanted to speak with someone who understood her unique position. Amonte Hiller and her husband found a way to get her message to Belichick, who led the Patriots to three Super Bowl titles in four years just a couple of years earlier.

Given his passion for lacrosse, he gave her a call back.

“I thought someone was messing with me,” Amonte Hiller told GQ Sports. “But it was really him.”

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The pair have been acquaintances ever since. Amonte Hiller was one of Belichick’s daughter’s mentors as she rose through the ranks of lacrosse coaching.

Now, in 2024, Amonte Hiller, an eight-time national champion with Northwestern, remains the Wildcats’ coach, but Belichick is without a job. The six-time Patriots Super Bowl champion has been keeping busy, though.

While in Illinois, Belichick was also spotted at a White Sox game on Friday.

Belichick spent last weekend at the University of Washington as a coaching clinic keynote speaker, as well. He also took in one of the team’s spring practices while he was on campus.

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