After 24 seasons and one of the most successful dynasties in football history, Bill Belichick is out as the head coach of the New England Patriots. Now, the once-dominant franchise needs a new coach.
Catch up quick: Patriots owner Robert Kraft publicly announced yesterday that Belichick will not return next season.
With a series of dramatic announcements over the past 24 hours, three of football's legendary coaches — Bill Belichick, Nick Saban and Pete Carroll — left their long-held jobs and identities behind.
Why it matters: The trio have dominated college and professional football over the last two-plus decades, and the teams they've coached have defined the sport for generations of fans.
Alabama fans flocked to Nick Saban's statue at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to leave oatmeal cream pies and other tributes after the college football coaching great announced his retirement on Wednesday evening.
The big picture: Saban, who's widely considered one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, said in a statement Wednesday that the University of Alabama "has been a very special place" to the 72-year-old and his wife, Terry.
