Bill Parcells will be inducted into Patriots Hall of Fame, Robert Kraft says

FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Parcells will be inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame, team owner Robert Kraft announced Tuesday.

Parcells spent four seasons as head coach of the Patriots from 1993 to 1996, leading the team to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI.

“I called Bill Parcells, and I asked him if he would be kind enough to accept going into our Patriot Hall of Fame. He had been a finalist for five years,” Kraft told reporters in a video shared on X by the Patriots. “While both of us are alive...I thought it would be great, given what he’s done for the team, if he would accept entry as a contributor.”

Kraft said Parcells graciously accepted the invite.

“In the early 1990s, the Patriots were in disarray, but the hiring of Bill Parcells in 1993, a two-time Super Bowl Champion, brought instant credibility to the franchise. We had never had a head coach with his credentials. He was a master motivator and always got the most out of his players,” Kraft said in an official statement shared by the team.

While the Patriots lost Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, 35-21, to the Green Bay Packers, Parcells coached New England to its first two home playoff wins in franchise history that postseason.

“Those are memories I will never forget and achievements worthy of this honor. As a five-time finalist for our Hall of Fame, I am sure he would have been voted in eventually, but I wanted to expedite the process so he could enjoy the ceremony,” Kraft added. I look forward to welcoming Bill back to Foxboro and celebrating his induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.”

Pete Carroll took over as head coach for three seasons following Parcells’ departure in 1997. Bill Belichick succeeded him in 2000 and coached the Patriots for more than two decades, winning six Super Bowl titles in that time.

Parcells and Belichick first coached together with the Giants in 1979. They later won Super Bowls together with the Giants in 1986 and 1990.

Belichick later served as assistant head coach and secondary coach under Parcells during the season in which New England reached Super Bowl XXXI.

Parcells went on to coach for seven more seasons after leaving New England, three with the New York Jets and four with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Patriots have not yet set an induction date for Parcells.

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