Belichick's island getaway: A different trophy home

NANTUCKET — When the final seconds tick away to conclude Sunday's Super Bowl and the sporting world has shifted its attention, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will eventually retreat to a modest two-story, four-bedroom house on Nantucket.

It is in Siasconset - or as locals abbreviate it, 'Sconset - where Belichick will take peaceful walks along the beach, visit the village's coffee shop, shop at the local market and when summer arrives, play golf at Sankaty Head, go fishing or watch the sunset from a beach-side perch.

"Oh boy, I don't think you've got enough space in your paper," Belichick said last week when asked what appeals to him about the idyllic island. "There are so many things. It's scenic, it's historic, it's peaceful and it's a very friendly environment. I enjoy all the outdoor activities, the fishing, the boating, the swimming, the golf, all those things."

On Nantucket, devising defensive schemes and dodging prying media questions are the furthest things from his fertile mind. On the island, his reclusive personality is the ideal fit for a community that embraces the rich and famous by giving them space. Belichick has called Nantucket his "haven" where he spends quality family time with his wife, Debby, and their three children, Amanda, Stephen and Brian.

"It's sort of home for me," he said. "As a football coach, I've ended up in a lot of different cities. But I've always been able to go back to Nantucket and to 'Sconset. Even when I've been in Cleveland, New York or Denver, there's been an anchor there."

Avoiding the limelight all accounts, the Belichick image runs true to form even when it's time to unwind. "He's very quiet," said Mark Heartfield, head golf professional at Sankaty Head, where Belichick is a member.

"He can walk around without being bothered," said Bill Santos, who handles the rubbish removal at Belichick's home. "He's very unassuming. He doesn't look for the limelight."

Quiet and unassuming. Those are words that describe Belichick's public persona, and if you talk to people on the island, a similar private portrait emerges. His friends paint a picture of a reflective man who avoids the spotlight and rarely ventures far from his beloved 'Sconset.

Belichick is legendary for zealously guarding his privacy. When a national magazine reporter came to the island a few years ago to interview him for a profile, the coach met him at the airport, refusing to allow access to his home and, thus, to his inner circle.

His friends are hesitant to discuss even the most innocuous details of how he spends his time on the island, apparently saddled with a mixture of fear and paranoia.

"His friends respect his privacy. Bill is Bill," said a friend who alternately demanded and begged that his name not be used in this story. "What he's let out to the public is all he wants people to know. Look at the guy you see on TV. That really is him. This should be a (short) article. His friends don't want to talk about him."

Fortunately, some friends will discuss the coach, and that includes Mark Fredland, who has known Belichick since the two were in the seventh grade. They were lacrosse teammates at Wesleyan Universit Fredland built the home Belichick now lives in. Fredland said Belichick keeps his sense of humor hidden from the public.

"It's very dry," he said. "He's not a practical joker or anything. He makes wry observations that are very amusing."

Planning pays offFredland brought Belichick to Nantucket when the two were in high school. Belichick quickly decided he wanted to build a home on the island, and the man known for his meticulous attention to detail immediately began planning for that eventuality.

He purchased a lot in the 1980s and built a speculative house that he lived in for one summer before putting it up for sale for $175,000. Reportedly, he was offered $171,000 and refused to budge. He sold it the following summer for $260,000.

Fredland then built Belichick's current house, one of three the Patriots coach has owned on the island.

It surprised few of his friends that Belichick was closely involved in the building of the house, right down to hammering a few nails and participating in its design.

"He's detail-oriented and very smart," Fredland said. "And his approach is very thorough in whatever he's doing."

The house took five years to build. Located down a peaceful side street in a residential neighborhood of older homes, it affords the privacy the coach craves.

"It fits right in to the neighborhood," Santos said. "He doesn't have a sprawling metropolis with guest quarters."

Belichick's lifestyle on the island is equally simple. Despite his status as a Super Bowl-winning coach, he refuses to use his celebrity to seek special favors. During a visit last December when the Patriots were in the midst of their bye week, he was turned away from dining at The SeaGrille Restaurant because of a Christmas party. Without complaint, he headed elsewhere.

Sankaty Head regular Belichick has spent more time in recent summers playing golf at Sankaty Head. He upgraded his status from part-time to full-time membership last year, and often plays with 12-year-old Brian, who takes lessons from Heartfield. An 18-handicap, Belichick is entered in the PGA Tour's prestigious ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am, scheduled for next week.

"He's pretty new to the game, but he was hitting the ball much better last summer," Heartfield said. "When I give a lesson to his son, we'll go out and play, and Bill will usually join us. I remember one time we had a few golf carts, and I said, 'Just throw your bag on, coach,' and he said, 'That's O.K., I'll walk.' He had this heavy Calloway bag, but he slung it over his shoulder and headed off. That kind of shows his toughness."

Despite his reclusive nature, Belichick has been accommodating and gracious with locals. When longtime Nantucket High football coach Vito Capizzo asked last year if he would appear at a fund-raiser for the local children's library, Belichick readily agreed, and showed a highlight film before speaking for 45 minutes free of charge. Capizzo often picks Belichick's brain on football matters, quizzing him about defensive strategies.

"As I've told Vito, I'd love to have his record," Belichick said.

A few years ago, Santos and his son attended a game in Dallas against the Jets when Belichick was New York's defensive coordinator. Afterward, they were watching Jets' players board the team bus when Santos caught Belichick's attention.

After pointing to his son's sweatshirt, which read "Santos Rubbish Removal," a flash of recognition crossed Belichick's face. He got off the bus to greet them and asked Santos's son if he'd like a few autographs. One week later, a football with the signatures of Curtis Martin, Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Chrebet arrived in the mail.

Residents insist that's classic Belichick. They maintain he hasn't changed since winning two Super Bowls.

"He still goes to (Nantucket High) lacrosse games and watches from behind the fence like everybody else," Santos said. "He keeps to himself. He's very grounded."

For Belichick, Nantucket has always been about renewing friendships and blissful surroundings.

"I've been going there since high school and there are people I don't see all year," he said. "Then we come together and catch up on a whole year's worth of events in a few weeks."

The next time he returns, he might have another Super Bowl championship to talk about.

(Published: February 4, 2005)