A number of books have previously been written about New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, including one by the late Pulitzer-winning journalist David Halberstam. So what compelled Ian O’Connor, a senior writer at ESPN.com, to devote several years and more than 500 pages to profiling a coach who declined to cooperate with the author? O’Connor says he believes Belichick to be the most fascinating figure in American sports, someone whom he predicted 18 years ago, in a newspaper column, would fail in New England. Since being proved so utterly wrong, O’Connor wanted to examine why Belichick, through interviews with 350 people who know him, has been such a staggering success, leading the Patriots to five Super Bowl victories.
