Bill Belichick makes first UNC radio show appearance. How long did he stay?

When the clock hit 7 p.m. Wednesday at Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery, it seemed as if the anticipated coach’s radio show — Bill Belichick yucking it up with UNC announcer Jones Angell as fans and aging boosters downed fries and blueberry wheat beers — was just a mirage.

Where was Belichick?

A few fans lingered by the main steps to catch a glimpse of his entrance as the school fight song played on a loop over the speakers. Surely it would be any minute now. Would he enter on the elevator? A secret tunnel? Parachute? All the heavy hitters — athletic director Bubba Cunningham, soon-to-be athletic director Steve Newmark, and Belichick’s girlfriend Jordon Hudson — had taken their seats in a roped-off dining room beside the bar. In the corner, several members of the Hulu docuseries adjusted their comically-large camera and a giant boom mic.

Angell provided an update: Belichick’s ETA was two minutes. In the meantime, he welcomed general manager Michael Lombardi to the stage. The duo didn’t have to stall for too long.

“We were really able to add a lot of players starting with quarterback Gio Lopez and everybody else,” Lombardi said, responding to a question about roster building before interrupting himself.

“And here comes the greatest coach of all time, so we can let him explain it.”

Belichick makes his entrance

The murmurs rippling through the dining room turned into cheers. Belichick had arrived, suddenly visible amid a forest of raised cellphones — everyone gleaning to get a snapshot of the esteemed coach.

When UNC announced Belichick’s hiring in December, the idea of him participating in the standard college coach extracurriculars seemed fanciful, given his no-nonsense reputation as a Super Bowl-winning NFL coach.

And yet, on Wednesday night, there he was.

Belichick actually played along. For someone depicted as allergic to small talk, it almost qualified as banter. He didn’t gush, but he smiled. He didn’t sign autographs — a TOPO employee remarked, perhaps jokingly, they’d be fired on the spot for requesting the coach’s John Hancock — but he paused for some chatter on his way out.

No new insights were gleaned, but Belichick reflected on his upbringing and expressed gratitude for this new opportunity in Chapel Hill. He wasn’t overly charming, but offered a dry line or two (a comment about parking challenges on campus, for instance) that drew laughs. He didn’t stay the full hour, only for 30 or so minutes, but that’s more than some expected.

Scott Maitland, a UNC alum and the proprietor of TOPO, said his business has hosted the coach’s radio show for about 20 years. The format has evolved over time, as TOPO has adjusted to each coach’s schedule and desires.

When Belichick was hired, Maitland knew that would require another shift.

“I think the evolution was, is there going to be a show at all?” Maitland said. “And then it became clear that there was going to be a show. But then the question was, well, is Belichick going to be involved at all?”

“I think from Belichick’s perspective, it’s not the Belichick show,” Maitland continued. “He doesn’t need to build his brand. So, the idea that other folks in the program — players, lesser known coaches [and] Lombardi — would be able to run these things and allow the community to get to know them, that seems great.”

Maitland credited his partner, TOPO general manager Guy Murphy, for coordinating with the UNC football program to bring the event to life. He said Murphy worked “very hard” to make it clear TOPO could handle the attention — the buzz — that would come with hosting Belichick.

“It is not unusual for there to be a lot of interest for people at Top of the Hill, and we know how to handle that,” Maitland said. “So I’m proud.”

Belichick opens up...a bit

Maitland prides himself on providing a comfortable atmosphere for coaches. It even worked on Belichick.

The tough-guy act gave way to casual, even if shallow, conversation. Belichick discussed the expected talk points: moving from the NFL to UNC, his father’s influence, assembling his coaching staff. He praised Lopez’s leadership and work ethic. He emphasized the fundamentals. Lombardi, at times, jumped in to add anecdotes.

The general manager shared this moment from a recent walk the two had on campus: “the students walk by and they’re not quite sure who he is. He’s got a hat on, you know? And then after they take about five steps past, they’re like, ‘Holy heck... that’s Coach Belichick.’”

“You can see they want to turn around,” Lombardi later added. “I think they can’t quite believe he’s on campus.”

That same star-struck feeling was evident in the Wednesday night crowd.

Long after Belichick had slipped away, after Lombardi and UNC chief revenue officer Rick Barakat carried the second half of the show, and after the chatter among longtime regulars and athletics staff had quieted, die-hard UNC fans Paul Fowler (53), Danny (61) and Drew Sullivan (35) filled out of TOPO and onto North Columbia Street. The trio has been coming to these radio shows for decades, but noticed the difference of this interation right away.

“In the past, there’s lots of banter, lots of background noise and talking,” Fowler said, “but everyone was, you know, basically on the edge of the seat just listening to what the coach had to say.”

“It felt different when Bill Belichick walked in the room and the level of respect felt different…. that’s what you couldn’t get from the [broadcast],” Drew Sullivan added, “is the feeling in the room. It was different. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Bill Belichick.’”

Will Belichick be a regular? TBD

It’s unclear when, or if, Belichick will appear again at TOPO. As Angell explained on Wednesday, the show has a new format this season. It will air Monday nights at 7 p.m. for the duration of the season at Top of the Hill and on the Tar Heel Sports Radio Network. Lombardi will serve as a regular, consistent presence. The show will also feature different voices from the program.

“And, of course, we hope to have Coach Belichick join us at a couple different points throughout the season as well,” Angell said.

Barakat told The N&O that Belichick will join once a month to “give some additional depth.” That, of course, could change.

But Danny Sullivan has hope. He reckons they’ll see more of Belichick at these radio shows in the future. Belichick, surely, will realize this is “a safe space for him.” That people are “going to love him here.” That the university community will make him feel included.

But, if not, Danny Sullivan liked hearing from the other voices like Lombardi and Barakat, anyway. If anything, he felt they offered a more comprehensive view of college football’s strange new landscape.

“It doesn’t mean we lose a whole tradition,” Danny Sullivan said. “It means that we bring parts of that tradition with us into the new.”

Fowler, though, brought up one qualm: a lack of approachability. He remarked that, on Wednesday, there was no opportunity to go up and speak to Belichick during commercial breaks.

Drew Sullivan jumped in.

“You win 10 games and I’m not gonna give a .... about that.”

Belichick may never sell the TOPO appetizers, he may not show up with any regularity, but on his first coach’s radio show, at least, he sold the room.

This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Bill Belichick makes first UNC radio show appearance. How long did he stay?."