New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s mother Jeannette Belichick died on Monday from natural causes. She was 98, according to CBS Boston. Jeannette died in Annapolis, Maryland, where Bill, her only child, grew up. The 68-year-old head coach canceled Wednesday’s press conference.
Jeannette met Bill’s father Steve Belichick while they were both working at Hiram College in Ohio in the 1940s. She was a French and Spanish teacher and Steve coached football, basketball and track. The two got married in 1950 and two years later Bill was born. Steve, a prominent influence in Bill’s love for football, died in 2005 at 85.
The Belichick family keeps close ties to the Hiram College. In 2015, Bill made a donation to the school to honor the legacy of his parents. The Jeannette Munn Belichick ’42 Endowed Fund focuses on the school library, providing books and resources to support foreign languages. The school also has a spot in the library named the Jeannette Munn Belichick ’42 Reading Room.
“Our deepest condolences to Coach Belichick, Steve, Brian and the Belichick family after the passing of their mom and grandmother, Jeannette,” the Patriots said in a statement.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh spoke about Jeannette’s death during his Wednesday press conference.
“[I want to] express condolences to coach Belichick and the Belichick family for the passing of his mother Jeannette, that’s a sad day,” Harbaugh said.
The 1-0 Patriots will head to Seattle to play the 1-0 Seahawks on Sunday night.
