Following a disastrous college football coaching debut with North Carolina, Bill Belichick faced the press under a light-hearted blue and white balloon arch, which starkly contrasted the gravity of the situation. The mismatched backdrop was ironically appropriate given the unfortunate turn of events during the game against TCU. The match started with high spirits as North Carolina managed to secure a confident lead of 83 yards and a touchdown during their very first offensive drive. The defense had also successfully pulled off a three-and-out, providing a glimmer of hope for the North Carolina supporters.
Unfortunately, from that moment on, it was a steady downhill as North Carolina let 41 uninterrupted points slip into TCU’s grasp while barely managing to hold onto 222 yards of their own, compared to TCU’s impressive 542. As early as the beginning of the fourth quarter, the stadium was already half-empty, a clear signal of the disappointment felt by the audience. TCU didn’t miss the chance to taunt the defeated team and their coach on Twitter, adding insult to injury.
Without a doubt, the timing of this upset made it all the more distressing. The defeat came after a period of heightened anticipation following North Carolina’s aggressive promotion of Belichick as their new coach. A promising ray of hope for rejuvenating the team, the sellout crowd was eager to witness the college coaching debut of the six-time Super Bowl champion. Among the spectators were big names such as Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, Roy Williams, and Mia Hamm.
That leads us to wonder: Where does Belichick’s shocking defeat stand in the embarrassing hall of fame of sports debuts? Looking back, Arch Manning’s beginning at Texas comes to mind. Despite being touted as the shining star of college football and a Heisman Trophy hopeful, Manning fell short of expectations during his inaugural match as Texas’. Against Ohio State that Saturday afternoon, Manning’s performance was timid at best, having only managed a total of 26 yards by halftime.
Jimmy Johnson, too, experienced a bleak start with the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a lesson well-learnt—don’t judge a book by its cover. Dallas Cowboys drew a complete blank against New Orleans, ending the game pointless. Aikman, their rookie quarterback, marked a miserable completion rate with just 180 yards and two interceptions.
In the realm of basketball, Anthony Bennett’s debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers was equally disappointing. The unexpected first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Bennett began his journey with the Cavaliers on the back foot by entering the first training camp overweight. He continuously failed to impress, missing every shot he took in his premier match against Brooklyn. Cleveland’s fans didn’t wait for long to voice their dissatisfaction, booing Bennett within the very first month.
Switching over to the baseball world, we recall Tim Tebow’s unconventional debut with the New York Mets, which began with a funny, albeit awkward, incident. Trying to warm up before his first at-bat, he ended up in the Boston Red Sox’s on-deck circle, a spot usually reserved for the opposing team. The remainder of Tebow’s inaugural match brought more disappointment as his shaky performance included two strikeouts and a double play.
Returning to college basketball, one cannot skip Kenny Payne’s dismal effort with his alma mater, Louisville. Although he was a 1,000-point scorer who helped Louisville clinify the national title in 1986, his subsequent stint as the coach failed to save their sinking ship. Way-out numbers in losses only added insult to injury. Three regular season games down the line, he hadn’t registered a single win.
Overseas, in soccer, English defender Jonathan Woodgate’s maiden match for Real Madrid, after a transfer of £13.4m, was an unfortunate sequence of events. Fourteen months after his transfer, Woodgate finally got his chance only to break into a scoring spree against his own team. He inadvertently scored an own goal and then got dismissed from the game due to a fouling offence.
Despite a strong starting at North Carolina, Bill Belichick couldn’t save his team from the tumble that followed. No excuses could be given for North Carolina’s loss to TCU. Belichick had a colossal task in front of him, rebuilding a team that previously lacked the capabilities to fight for national titles.
Skipping back to the NFL, rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden’s debut for the Cleveland Browns stands out. While preparing for his first game in the NFL, Weeden ridiculously got stuck under a massive American flag during the national anthem. Later, his on-field performance wasn’t any less awkward as he threw four interceptions against the Eagles.
Nathaniel Hackett had a controversial start as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. His decision to not put faith in his pricy quarterback and try for a touchdown, but instead aiming for a 64-yard field goal, embroiled him in criticism. Hackett’s decision backfired as the field goal missed its target and Denver lost. His stint with Denver ended even before a full season.
Finally, the hall of fame of tragic debuts cannot leave out Nathan Peterman of the Buffalo Bills. Substituting the benched Tyrod Taylor, Peterman made history of the worst kind. He became the first quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to throw five interceptions in the first half of a game. Peterman’s debut was brief and brutal as he was benched at halftime.
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