With the retirements of Mike Holmgren and Tony Dungy, and the firings of Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden, Bill Belichick is one of two remaining head coaches in the NFL that have won the Super Bowl. But that may be the only thing he has in common with those coaches. When Belichick eventually retires, he will receive a farewell starkly different from the current standing ovation given Holmgren and Dungy by the sports media.

Both Holmgren and Dungy have built reputations as great men off the field. They are seen as committed family men, and role models to their players and assistants, and the articles bidding them farewell reflect that. On the other hand, Belichick has earned a reputation as a strict taskmaster who shows little concern for the media’s opinion of him. Even when the Patriots were discovered filming the Jets’ sideline signals – cheating, under NFL regulations – Belichick seemed to loathe apologizing.

It’s almost certain that when Belichick retires, he will receive no poetic send-off from an adoring throng of writers and fans extolling his qualities as a human being. Instead we will have to look at his on-field legacy and his performance as a football coach separate from, and in spite of, his persona.

Many people still respect Belichick’s abilities as a coach thanks to his 102 wins and 42 losses with the Patriots, as well as three Super Bowls. Sure, these are great accomplishments, but they are team accomplishments. Holmgren and Dungy also have those team accomplishments, as well as their great reputations as people.

So what lasting impact will Belichick leave on the league? In football a head coach is often referred to as being the start of a “coaching tree” – meaning he has protégés or assistants who go on to head coaching positions themselves. Through their tree, a coach can really put his imprint on football. A prolific coach such as long-retired Bill Walsh is still talked about because so many of his assistants became successful coaches, including both Holmgren and Dungy.

With little to evaluate besides wins, Belichick’s tree is his only chance for a dynamic legacy. The most recent Patriot assistant to branch out is Josh McDaniels, who was named the head coach of the Denver Broncos. McDaniels served as offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, leading the team to an NFL record 67 touchdowns in 2007. If McDaniels, and new Jets coach Rex Ryan, former linebackers coach under Belichick in Cleveland, fail to find success, then the book may be closed on the Belichick tree.

Two former Belichick assistants have already been fired this offseason – Eric Mangini, from the New York Jets and Romeo Crennel, from the Cleveland Browns. The Browns aren’t ready to blame Belichick, however, as Mangini will be Crennel’s replacement. The two men are a combined 47-65.

And even though he wasn't fired after going 3-9 in his third season at Notre Dame, many believed Charlie Weis, Belichick's former offensive coordinator, should have been.

The only real standout from Belichick’s tree is Nick Saban, amassing 110 wins and 50 losses as the head coach of Alabama, LSU and Michigan State. But Saban worked under pre-genius Belichick in Cleveland, where his record as head coach was a rather pedestrian 36-44.

In comparison, Dungy, who coached Tampa Bay and Indianapolis, beat his own former assistant Lovie Smith in Super Bowl XLI, a game in which both men simultaneously became the first African-American head coaches to make it to the Super Bowl. And this year, Dungy's tree continues to succeed, as Mike Tomlin's Steelers are favored to win Super Bowl XLIII.

Belichick tree doesn't compare to Holmgren's either. Jon Gruden, a Holmgren protege, won Super Bowl XXXVII in his first year in Tampa (afterwards thanking his predecessor, Tony Dungy). And Andy Reid, another member of Holmgren’s tree, has won five NFC East champions and has led the Eagles to four NFC Championships and a Super Bowl.

The list goes on for both Holmgren and Dungy.

Both these coaches have made significant contributions to the way the game is played. Holmgren helped spread the “West Coast offense,” started by Bill Walsh, and Dungy’s version of the “cover-2” defense, known as the “Tampa-2,” is one of the most respected, and copied, schemes in football.

Belichick, however, has no ongoing personal legacy. Unless McDaniels or Ryan can turn around their respective teams, the Belichick tree is effectively irrelevant. Belichick will leave behind only the Patriots and their records – and in a season with no Tom Brady and post-season with no Patriots, those records are already fading from our collective memory. All we have left is his seemingly constant bad mood.

Fittingly, Jeopardy ran a recent ad campaign featuring famous historical figures, proclaiming their proudest moment was when they were used as the answer on Jeopardy. For Belichick, this moment captures precisely the way he will forever be remembered – as a grumpy old man.