Ernie Adams '71 (Interim)
Head Coach
Ernie Adams '71 will serve as the interim head coach of Phillips Academy football through the 2026 season while the school completes its search for a new head coach. He has supported the Andover program on the sidelines for the last three seasons.
Adams is a legendary American football executive and strategist, best known for his two-decade tenure as the Director of Football Research for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2021. Often described as the "man behind the curtain" of the Patriots' dynasty, Adams served as the primary research and strategy advisor to head coach Bill Belichick '71, contributing to six Super Bowl championships. He also held roles with the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns.
The foundation of Adams’ celebrated football mind was laid at Phillips Academy, where his lifelong obsession with the "mathematics" of football began. It was on the Andover campus in the early 1970s that Adams met fellow student Bill Belichick, forming a historic partnership as they spent much of their free time in the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library analyzing football scouting reports and coaching manuals. After graduating from Phillips Academy, Adams attended Northwestern University and further honed the analytical skills that would later make their mark in the NFL.