Bill Parcells is finally getting his spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Tuesday that Parcells, who gave the franchise instant credibility when he took over as head coach in 1993, will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame as a contributor. 

"I called Bill Parcells and asked him if he would be kind enough to accept going into our Patriots Hall of Fame. He had been a finalist for five years," Kraft said Tuesday from West Palm Beach, Florida at the NFL Annual Meetings. "I thought it would be great, given what he's done for the team if he would accept entry as a contributor to the Patriots Hall of Fame, and he accepted."

Parcells, who like Kraft is now 83 years old, told the Boston Globe Tuesday that he was "honored" to be invited.

Bill Parcells with New England Patriots

Former Patriots owner James Orthwein hired Parcells in 1993, following a 2-14 season in 1992. Parcells took over after a few years off following his second Super Bowl title as head coach of the New York Giants. He led the Patriots to a promising 5-11 record in his first season in Foxboro.

A 10-6 season followed in 1994, the year Kraft bought the team, which saw the Patriots clinch their first playoff berth in eight years and Parcells earn the NFL Coach of the Year award. The Patriots were a disappointing 6-10 in 1995, but bounced back in 1996 with an 11-6 record and the team's first division title in a decade.

The Patriots earned the franchise's second trip to the Super Bowl that postseason, with playoff wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars (20-6 in the AFC Championship Game). New England lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35-21, in Super Bowl XXXI.

Parcells then left to become head coach of the rival New York Jets, leaving the Patriots after four seasons and a 32-32 record in the regular season. His departure didn't sit well with the Kraft family and many local writers (though he had plenty of supporters over the years), and he was shut out of the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2020, and 2023. 

But the hatchet has been buried, and Parcells will get his red jacket and bust inside the Hall at Patriot Place later this summer.

"In the early 1990s, the Patriots were in disarray," Kraft said in a statement to announce Parcells' upcoming induction. "But the hiring of Bill Parcells in 1993, a two-time Super Bowl Champion, brought instant credibility to the franchise. We had never had a head coach with his credentials. He was a master motivator and always got the most out of his players. In my first season as owner, he led us on that unforgettable seven-game win streak to qualify for the playoffs. Two years later, he accomplished something Patriots fans had never seen before, leading us to our first two home playoff wins in franchise history, and another trip to the Super Bowl. Those are memories I will never forget and achievements worthy of this honor. As a five-time finalist for our hall of fame, I am sure he would have been voted in eventually, but I wanted to expedite the process so he can enjoy the ceremony. I look forward to welcoming Bill back to Foxborough and celebrating his induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame."

Parcells is the only head coach in NFL history to lead four different teams to the playoffs and three different teams to a conference championship. He is a member of the Patriots 1990s All-Decade team, and was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.