01:00 AM EST on Monday, November 21, 2005

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

"Steve Belichick was a lifer, viewed by his peers as a coach's coach. He had never made much money and never enjoyed much fame outside the small hermetically sealed world of coaching. For much of his adulthood he had lived with the special uncertainty of a coach -- a world without guarantees except for the one that no matter how well things were going at the moment, they would surely turn around soon." -- From Education of a Coach by David Halberstam.

FOXBORO -- Steve Belichick died Saturday night at his home in Annapolis, Md. He was 86. He's survived by his wife of 55 years, Jeannette, and his only child, Bill, who coached the Patriots to a 24-17 win over the New Orleans Saints yesterday, then left by police escort to join his family in Maryland.

The death of Steve Belichick resonates locally because his son is head coach of the Patriots. But the loss is amplified because the Patriots have won three Super Bowls, Belichick is recognized as one of the greatest NFL coaches of all-time and Steve Belichick taught his son everything he knew about football.

"I just wanted to be with my father," Bill Belichick said two days before Super Bowl XXXVI when the Patriots stunned the Rams. "If he'd been a fireman I probably would have been pulling the hose behind him."

The son of Croatian immigrants, Steve was the youngest of five children and was born in Monessen, Pa. He grew up in Struthers, Ohio, and was a standout at Struthers High before attending Case Western Reserve and playing fullback. He was named to the Case Western Hall of Fame in 1976.

He played one year for the Detroit Lions, then served in the Navy. From 1946-48 he coached football basketball and track at Hiram (Ohio) College. He later coached at Vanderbilt and then North Carolina before going to Navy in 1956. He worked there until 1989 as an assistant coach and associate professor in physical education.

Bill Belichick talked about his father's death after yesterday's game.

"Yesterday he did what he enjoyed doing," said Belichick. "He went and watched Navy play, watched them win. Some of his former players were there. He had dinner and I spoke with him after the game. And like he normally does Saturday night, sitting around watching college football, and his heart just stopped beating. So I'm sure that's the way he would have wanted it to end. He went peacefully, which is unusual for him."

As recently as August, Steve Belichick was in Foxboro watching the Patriots during training camp. At the end of one practice session, he was leaving the bleachers and saw there were no stairs leading to the ground. He simply climbed over the rail and hopped down.

Widely recognized as the best and most diligent advance scout of his era, Steve Belichick was plainspoken and blunt.

He was a kind of football oracle for those who covered the team because he gave insight into the game and evaluations of players with readiness.

He -- like his son -- was not a big proponent of hype, however.

Once, when he heard the word "genius" attached to his son's name, he fixed his gaze on the person with whom he was speaking and said, "You are talking about someone who walks up and down a football field."