Bill Belichick among final 12 coaches for Hall of Fame 2026 class - ESPN

Six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick advanced to the final 12 coaches in running for the 2026 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Belichick is in his first year of eligibility after rule changes put in place last year requiring coaches only to be out of the NFL for one full season before being considered for the Hall.

Two-time Super Bowl champion coaches Tom Coughlin, Mike Shanahan and George Seifert also advanced, along with another Super Bowl winner in Mike Holmgren.

The other coaches in the running are Bill Arnsparger, Alex Gibbs, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer and Clark Shaughnessy.

A blue-ribbon committee will reduce the field to nine semifinalists next month and eventually down to one finalist. Holmgren earned that spot last year but fell short in the final vote. The coach will be grouped with one contributor and three seniors candidates. Between one and three of those five finalists will make it to the Hall based on getting at least 80% of the votes from the full committee.

Belichick was the architect of the New England Patriots dynasty in the 2000s, leading the franchise to six Super Bowl titles and three other appearances in the game during an 18-year span from 2001-18. Belichick's 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs with New England and Cleveland are the second-most to Don Shula's 347.

Belichick also was one the game's top defensive assistants before taking over New England, winning two more Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

Belichick's tenure in New England ended following the 2023 season and he is now coaching in college at North Carolina with a team that is 2-4 in his first season.

Belichick, Coughlin, Shanahan and Seifert