Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2001 season. The underdog Patriots defeated the heavily favored Rams by the score of 20–17. It was New England's first Super Bowl championship, and the franchise's first league championship of any kind. The game was also notable for snapping the AFC East's long streak of not being able to win a Super Bowl championship, as the division's teams had lost 17 Super Bowls between the Miami Dolphins' victory in 1974 and the Patriots' 2002 win. This was the last Super Bowl to feature the St. Louis Rams; after relocating to Los Angeles in 2016, the Rams returned to the NFL's championship game in Super Bowl LIII, in which they were again defeated by the Patriots.
William Stephen Belichick is an American professional football coach who is the head coach and de facto general manager of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the Patriots, along with two more during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, for the record of eight combined total Super Bowl victories as coach and coordinator. Belichick is often referred to as a "student of the game", with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of each player position, and is known as a renowned American football historian. Under his tenure with the Patriots, he was a central figure as the head coach as well as the chief executive during the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019.
Joshua Thomas McDaniels is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career in 2001 with the New England Patriots, where he served as the offensive coordinator for 14 non-consecutive seasons. During McDaniels' first stint as offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2008, New England set the season record for points scored and became the first team to win all 16 regular season games in 2007. In his second stint from 2012 to 2021, the Patriots won three Super Bowl titles in Super Bowl XLIX, Super Bowl LI, and Super Bowl LIII. McDaniels was also among the Patriots personnel to be present for all six of their titles during the Brady–Belichick era.
Russell Dean Pees is a former American football coach who spent eighteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He has served as the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and Atlanta Falcons. Pees was also the head coach at Kent State University from 1998 to 2003, compiling a record of 17–51.
Dante Scarnecchia is a former American football offensive line coach and assistant head coach. He worked for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) for 34 years. Scarnecchia has spent the majority of his professional coaching career with the Patriots, joining them in 1982, only leaving in 1989 to coach with the Indianapolis Colts, before returning to the Patriots two years later. He remained with the team as a coach until his retirement following the 2013 season. He was rehired as the offensive line coach on February 16, 2016.
Matthew Edward Patricia is an American football coach who is the senior football advisor for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He has served 15 non-consecutive seasons as an assistant coach with the Patriots, including six seasons as the team's defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. Patricia won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, two as defensive coordinator, and presided over a defense in 2016 that led the league in fewest points allowed. In 2022, he served as the Patriots' offensive playcaller. In between his New England tenure, he was the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 to 2020.
Brian Michael Daboll is a Canadian-born American football coach who is the head coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Buffalo Bills. Daboll has also served in various capacities as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2006 and again from 2013 to 2016.
Brian Francisco Flores is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career with the New England Patriots, where he served as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2018. Flores was New England's defensive playcaller during his final season coaching for the team, which concluded with a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LIII. Following the Super Bowl victory, he served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021.
Patrick Graham is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins as well as an inside linebackers coach for the Green Bay Packers and an assistant coach for the New England Patriots.
Chad O'Shea is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He previously was an assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Qualin Dont'a Hightower is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Hightower was selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Patriots, where he was named to two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowl titles.
Brendan Daly is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Daly previously served as a defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots.
Joseph Francis Judge is an American football coach who is an offensive assistant for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Judge served as the head coach of the New York Giants from 2020 to 2021. Prior to joining the Giants, Judge served as an assistant coach for the Patriots from 2012 to 2019. The Patriots appeared in four Super Bowls, winning three of them, during Judge's tenure.
Elandon Roberts is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Houston. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He plays primarily as a linebacker on defense, but when injuries during the 2019 season left the Patriots without a fullback on the roster, Roberts began to play that position as well.
Stephen C. Belichick is an American football coach who is the outside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He formerly was the team's safeties coach and worked as a defensive assistant since he began coaching in 2012.
Moses Cabrera is an American football strength and conditioning coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He a graduate of Deming High School in Deming, New Mexico. He excelled in academics and sports, he played both offense and defense for the Deming High Wildcats. Moses then went on to continue his studies at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he earned his B.S. in Exercise Science. He is the current American football head strength and conditioning coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).
Jerry Schuplinski is an American football coach who is the senior offensive assistant coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League. Jerry was an assistant coach for Case Western Reserve for six seasons before becoming a part of the Patriots' staff in 2013. Schuplinski was part of the Patriots coaching staff that won Super Bowl LI. In the game, the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28 in overtime.
The Tom Brady–Bill Belichick era, also known as the Brady–Belichick era, the New England Patriots dynasty, or the Patriots dynasty, was a sports dynasty of the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL) that lasted from the 2001 to the 2019 season. The dynasty is named after quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, who are regarded as among the greatest in their respective positions. Belichick and Brady are consistently credited with the Patriots' success and are considered responsible for one of the sport's longest and most dominant dynasties. They are also credited with helping to create and sustain the culture around the team, dubbed the "Patriot Way", where there is an emphasis on personal accountability, consistent improvement, and a focus on team success over personal gain.
Brian Belichick is an American football coach who is the safeties coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He joined the organization as a scouting assistant in 2016, and worked as a coaching assistant from 2017 to 2019 before being promoted to safeties coach prior to the 2020 season.
