This article contains an in-depth explanation of the history of the New England Patriots, a professional American football team that competes in the National Football League (NFL).
Earlier NFL experience Boston had previously been home to several NFL teams. The first was the Boston Bulldogs, which lasted only one season (1929). They were followed by the Boston Braves/Redskins, from 1932 to 1936. They played first at Braves Field and then at Fenway Park. The team moved to Washington following the 1936 season. The Boston Yanks played from 1944 to 1948 before moving to New York to become the New York Yanks.
1960–1969: AFL beginnings On November 16, 1959, Boston business executive Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League (AFL). In addition to Billy and his brother Joe Sullivan, other initial investors in the team were John Ames, a lawyer, Dean Boylan, president of Boston Sand & Gravel, George Sargent, an insurance executive, Dom DiMaggio, former Boston Red Sox center fielder, Dan Marr, president of Marr Scaffolding Co, Ed McMann, president of the Northeast Packing Co, Paul Sonnabend, vice president of Hotel Corporation of America, and Edgar Turner, president of the 7-Up Distributors Corp. Each of the founders invested $25,000 to capitalize the team.
The following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football team's official name. The most common one, and the one that Sullivan selected, was the "Boston Patriots," with "Patriots" referring to those colonists of the Thirteen Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution and in July 1776 declared the United States of America an independent nation. Immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell of The Boston Globe developed the "Pat Patriot" logo.
On July 30, 1960, the Boston Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in the first AFL pre-season game. The Boston Patriots played in the first-ever game in the American Football League, against the Denver Broncos on September 9, 1960, which they lost by a score of 10–13. The Boston Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in an AFL Eastern Division playoff game in 1963 and made it to the AFL Championship for the first time, but lost to the San Diego Chargers 51–10. During the 1963 season, nine Patriots made the AFL All-star team, including Gino Cappelletti, Nick Buoniconti, and Babe Parilli. In 1964, Linebacker Tom Addison, an original Patriot, founded and was selected President of the AFL Players Association. In the late 1960s, fullback Jim Nance became a top offensive player for the Patriots, gaining 1,458 yards during the 1966 season and 1,216 during the 1967 season. He was named the AFL MVP in 1966.
1970–1973: Post AFL–NFL merger After the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the league required that all teams reside in stadiums with at least 50,000 seats. Prior to 1970, The Patriots did not have a regular home stadium. Nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium, served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. None of the four stadiums the Patriots had used up to that point qualified, and there was little room in Boston for a new stadium. Due to this, discussions about a possible relocation to Tampa, Florida occurred.No byline (March 12, 1970). Pros in Tampa? The Evening Independent. Retrieved from Google Newspapers May 8, 2014. Indeed, past attempts at pro football in Boston had been stymied by the lack of an adequate stadium.
In 1971, the Patriots moved into a new stadium in suburban Foxborough, Massachusetts, built on land granted by the Bay State Raceway. The team was renamed the New England Patriots on March 22, 1971, to reflect its new location. The original choice, Bay State Patriots was rejected by the NFL. The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, was built at a cost of about $6.2 million in only 327 days. The stadium was one of the first stadiums in the country to be named after a corporate sponsor, as the Schaefer Brewing Company paid $1 million for naming rights.
The first event held at the new Schaefer Stadium was a preseason game against the New York Giants on August 15, 1971. A massive traffic jam on Route 1 prevented many fans from getting in until halftime.
In 1971, the Patriots had a new quarterback, Heisman TrophyPast Heisman Trophy Winners National Champs.net. winner Jim Plunkett.Pro Football Draft History: 1971 Pro Football Hall of Fame. Plunkett, from Stanford University, was the first overall selection in the 1971 NFL draft. The Patriots also signed free agent Randy Vataha, a wide receiver.
1973–1978: Fairbanks era
The Patriots added three players to the team from the 1973 NFL draft; offensive guard John Hannah, who became the first career Patriot to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame; running back Sam Cunningham, the team's all-time leading rusher;All-time Leaders – Rushing Patriots.com. and wide receiver Darryl Stingley.
In 1973, the team hired Chuck Fairbanks, who had been head coach at the University of Oklahoma, as head coach. The Patriots improved in Fairbanks's second season, 1974, finishing 7–7. During the 1975 season, QB Plunkett was injured and the team ended the season 3–11. Following the 1975 season, Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, and eventually would win two Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders.
The draft picks acquired in the Plunkett trade were used to select defensive backs Mike Haynes and Tim Fox. The Patriots finished the 1976 season 11–3, their best record in team history to that point, and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1963 as a wild card-berth.
1976 playoffs The Patriots played the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the playoffs. Late in the game, the Patriots were leading the Raiders, 21–17. On a 3rd-down play late in the 4th quarter, Patriots defensive tackle Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton sacked Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler, which would have forced the Raiders into a 4th-down situation. However, referee Ben Dreith called a roughing the passer penalty on Hamilton, nullifying the sack and giving the Raiders an automatic 1st down. The penalty was debated later, but gave the Raiders the opportunity to score. Stabler scored on a short touchdown run with less than a minute left, and the Raiders held on for a 24–21 win.
1977–1978 The 1977 season was a disappointing one for the Patriots, due in part to contract holdouts by offensive linemen John Hannah and Leon Gray. The Patriots finished 9–5, one game out of first place in the AFC East, and out of the playoffs.
In a 1978 preseason game against the Raiders, wide receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed from the neck down from a tackle by Oakland's Jack Tatum.The amazing courage of Derek Stingley Pro Football Weekly. The Patriots finished 11–5 for their first post-merger AFC East championship. However, hours before the final game of the regular season, coach Chuck Fairbanks announced he would be leaving the team to become head coach at the University of Colorado. Owner Billy Sullivan immediately suspended Fairbanks, and offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt and defensive coordinator Hank Bullough were left to coach the final game without a head coach. Fairbanks was reinstated for the playoffs, but the team lost its divisional playoff game 31–14 to the Houston Oilers, which also was the first Patriots post-season game at Schaefer Stadium.
1979–1984: Coaching changes For the next two years, the Patriots would suffer late-season losses that denied them return trips to the playoffs. In 1979, after starting 7–3, the team lost five out of their last eight games, to finish 9–7 and out of the playoffs. In 1980, with running back Sam Cunningham holding out all season, the Patriots started 6–1 but finished 10–6, again out of the playoffs. The Patriots continued to slide in 1981, finishing 2–14.
Following the 1981 season, Erhardt was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer, who had been the head coach at Southern Methodist University. The Patriots had the top draft pick overall in the 1982 NFL draft and selected Kenneth Sims, a defensive end from the University of Texas at Austin.
In the strike-shortened 1982 season, the highlight of the Patriots' campaign was the "Snowplow Game", a controversial 3–0 late-season win over the Miami Dolphins. The controversy came in the 4th quarter when the Patriots were preparing for a field goal attempt. Mark Henderson, a convict on work release, used a tractor to clear a swath of field to aid the Patriots. Kicker John Smith's 33-yard attempt was good, and they were the only points scored by either team that afternoon. The win helped put the Patriots in the playoffs, but the first-round rematch in Miami was won by the Dolphins.
In 1983, the naming-rights deal for the stadium with Schaefer expired, and the stadium was renamed Sullivan Stadium. Also in 1983, quarterback Tony Eason was drafted in the first round. Eason played sparingly in 1983, but became the Patriots' starting quarterback in 1984. The team ended the season 8-8.
The Patriots, with the top pick in the 1984 NFL draft, selected Irving Fryar, a wide receiver from the University of Nebraska. With Tony Eason starting at quarterback, the Patriots got off to a 5–2 start. However, after a few losses, the Patriots fired head coach Ron Meyer and replaced him with former Baltimore Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry. The team won three of their first four games under Berry. The team lost several games late in the 1984 season, and finished out of the playoffs at 9–7.
1985: First Super Bowl appearance
After struggling to start the 1985 season, and Eason suffering a shoulder injury in October, coach Raymond Berry replaced Eason with Grogan. Grogan broke his leg during the 12th game of the season and Eason took over as starting quarterback. New England won six straight games and finished 11–5. They then beat the New York Jets 26–14, earning a wild card berth to the playoffs.
In the divisional playoff against the Los Angeles Raiders, the Patriots forced six turnovers and won 27–20. Dawson started the game with a touchdown, then when the Patriots were kicking off in the 4th quarter, a fumble by the Raiders resulted in a touchdown for Jim Bowman. After beating the Raiders, the Patriots were set to play the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship. Days before the championship game, Irving Fryar was injured in a domestic incident and had to have his hand cast. The Patriots defeated the Dolphins 31–14. Eason threw touchdowns to running back Tony Collins and tight end Derrick Ramsey early in the game. Later, a touchdown by Mosi Tatupu won the Patriots the AFC Championship of 1985. They went on to the Super Bowl XX, where they faced the Chicago Bears. In the Super Bowl, the Patriots took an early 3–0 lead after Walter Payton fumbled in the 1st quarter, resulting a field goal by Tony Franklin. The Bears would scored 44 points, including a touchdown by rookie defensive lineman William "The Refrigerator" Perry. The Patriots made one touchdown, at the end to make the final score 46–10.
1986–1992: Ownership changes and struggles
Soon after the 1985 Super Bowl, Boston Globe sportswriter Ron Borges wrote a story alleging that six Patriots players, including Fryar, cornerback Raymond Clayborn, safety Roland James, and running back Tony Collins were marijuana users. In May 1986, allegations surfaced that Fryar was involved in gambling of NFL games. In July 1986, offensive lineman John Hannah retired.
In 1986, the Patriots' strength was their passing game, led by Eason and receiver Stanley Morgan, who gained nearly 1,500 yards receiving. The Patriots led the AFC East with an 11–5 record and traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos in the divisional playoffs. A 4th-quarter touchdown pass from John Elway to Vance Johnson won the game for Denver.