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The New England Patriots, or "Pats" as frequently referred to by sports writers and fans, are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They are currently members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Originally called the Boston Patriots, the ownership changed the name after relocating the team to Foxborough in 1971. After forming in 1960 as an original member of the American Football League, the Patriots joined the NFL in the league merger of 1970. The team advanced to the playoffs four times before their first Super Bowl appearance, a loss in Super Bowl XX in 1986. The team also lost Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. Between 2001 and 2004, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history (after the Dallas Cowboys) to win three Super Bowls in four years (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX), and the seventh team to win consecutive Super Bowls (XXXVIII and XXXIX). Franchise history 1959–1991 On November 16 1959, Boston executive William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League (AFL). The following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football team's official name. The most popular choice—and the one that Sullivan selected—was "Boston Patriots", which derived from the historical Patriots of the American Revolution. Several months later, Phil Bisell created the "Pat Patriot" logo (see section), and Lou Saban was selected as the team's first head coach. The franchise's first training camp began on July 4 1960, two months prior to their first official game. On September 9 of that year, the Boston Patriots played the Denver Broncos in the first-ever AFL regular season game. The Broncos defeated the Patriots by a score of 13–10. The franchise played first at legendary Braves Field in Boston, the old home of the Boston Braves that was eventually purchased by Boston University, where it was renamed Nickerson Field. From 1961 to 1969, the Patriots played at Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox. 5,000 temporary seats covered the left field wall, and field goals were regularly kicked into the right field visitors' bullpen. The Patriots failed to reach the playoffs in each of their first four seasons, despite posting a cumulative 23-17 record. However, in 1963 the Patriots reached the AFL Championship for the first time, resulting in a loss to the San Diego Chargers by a score of 51–10. Although the franchise lost the championship, it was honored when eleven Patriots made the AFL All-star team, including Gino Cappelletti, Nick Buoniconti, Jim Lee Hunt, Houston Antwine, Bob Dee, and Babe Parilli. Although Boston failed to reach the AFL playoffs for the remainder of the decade, the team was noted in 1966 when fullback Jim Nance gained 1,458 yards, and the title of the American Football League's MVP. Tom Addison, the first Patriot All-star, founded the AFL Players Association in the mid 1960s. The Patriots' second decade began with significant changes. In 1970, the Patriots' franchise joined the NFL pursuant to the merger of the AFL and NFL that had been agreed to three years earlier. The Patriots were merged into the American Football Conference (AFC), where they remain to the present day. However, the Patriots' first season as part of the NFL resulted in a record of 2–12, sole possession of the newly merged league's worst record. Despite the lack of wins, local morale increased in 1971 when the Patriots moved into a new stadium in Foxborough (also known as Foxboro). The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, became Sullivan Stadium in 1983 and, ultimately, Foxboro Stadium in 1990. This marked stability for the Patriots, who shifted between four different Boston-area stadiums since its creation. In March 1971, the team was renamed the "New England Patriots" to reflect the relocation. By the early 1970s, several new players were added to the lineup, including Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett and offensive lineman John Hannah, who became the first career Patriot to make the Hall of Fame in 1991.Despite the changes in personnel, the Patriots' series of losing seasons continued into the early 1970s. Chuck Fairbanks was hired as head coach and general manager in 1973 after leading a top-ten program at the University of Oklahoma. Fairbanks began assembling one of the most talented - but ultimately underachieveing - squads in the NFL of the 1970s. The Patriots finished 7–7 in 1974 and 3–11 in 1975, which resulted in offensive changes. Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and replaced by second year player Steve Grogan. After the string of losing seasons, the Patriots finished the 1976 season with an 11–3 mark — the best record in team history to that point — and a playoff slot for the first time since 1963. In the first round of the 1976 playoffs, the Patriots lost to the Oakland Raiders 24–21. In 1978, Fairbanks was fired as head coach when it was revealed he had been secretly hired as the new head coach of the University of Colorado. Fairbanks was replaced by Ron Erhardt, who coached the team to a playoff appearance later that year. The Patriots lost to the Houston Oilers in the first round and did not return to the tournament until 1982. Under new coach Ron Meyer, the Patriots were once again eliminated in the first game — this time by the Miami Dolphins. With the team consistently unable to assemble playoff victories, the Sullivans replaced head coach Ron Meyer with former wide receiver Raymond Berry in 1984. In the 1985 regular season, the team finished with an 11-5 record and obtained a wild card playoff berth. The Patriots won three road playoff games on their way to Super Bowl XX — an NFL record. At Super Bowl XX, the Patriots surrendered a 3-0 first quarter lead and lost to the Chicago Bears by a score of 46-10. The following season, New England won the AFC East with another 11–5 record, but fell to the Broncos in the first round of the playoffs. Local resident Doug Flutie was a member of the Patriots during the 1987–1988 seasons, in which they finished with records of 8–7 and 9–7, respectively. Berry remained head coach through both seasons. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Patriots' lack of playoff appearances was underscored by personnel changes and controversy within the Sullivan ownership. The Sullivan family lost millions of dollars on expensive investments, including The Jacksons' 1984 Victory tour. Additional pressure was placed on the ownership when they calculated that $100 million was already invested in the franchise. These financial losses and demands forced the Sullivans to sell the team in 1988. The highest bidder was Victor Kiam, who purchased the team for $84 million — $16 million less than the cost of the team. Although Kiam was now the full owner, he decided to keep Billy Sullivan and his son, Pat Sullivan, as franchise president and General Manager respectively. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Robert Kraft began his involvement with the Patriots by purchasing Sullivan Stadium (previously Schaefer Stadium) on November 23 1988. Essensially, Kraft owned the stadium while Kiam possessed the team. During this leadership change, head coach Berry was replaced by Rod Rust — a change that was short-lived. The Patriots' worst season in franchise history came under Rust in 1990, when the team finished 1–15. During the season, the Patriots were thrown into the middle of a sexual harassment scandal when Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson was sexually and verbally assaulted by several Patriots players in the team's locker room, a bad situation made worse by Kiam first deriding the reporter as "a classic explitive" and by making lewd jokes at public events about the whole affair instead of allowing it to die quietly. Following an investigation into the scandal, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue fined the team $50,000, and players Zeke Mowatt, Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman $12,500, $5,000, and $5,000 respectively. Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson at the end of the season. The Olson scandal and the 1-15 record are cited as the two primary reasons why Rod Rust was told to leave. 1992–2001 In 1992, St. Louis businessman James Orthwein became sole owner of the Patriots franchise, sparking rumors of a possible franchise relocation to St. Louis. However, no move was scheduled for the 1992 season, despite a sub-par 1992 season. During the 1992-1993 offseason, the Patriots shifted gears by replacing MacPherson with Bill Parcells. The team's draft selections for the offseason included Drew Bledsoe, who quarterbacked the team until 2001. Despite these acquisitions, the 1993 season resulted in a losing record, and rumors about relocation to St. Louis resparked during the offseason. In order to save the team from relocation, Robert Kraft outbid an intense field of competition and obtained full ownership of the Patriots in 1994. Kraft implemented changes in organization and leadership, which culminated in a ten-season stadium sell-out streak from 1996 to the present. New England entered the 1994 season after drafting first round and fourth overall pick Willie McGinest, who would later play linebacker on all three Super Bowl-winning teams. Although the team lost in the first round of the 1994 playoffs and finished the 1995 season with a 6–10 record, Kraft decided to keep Parcells. In 1996, the Patriots finished with an 11–5 record and an AFC East division championship. The team eventually advanced to Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers 35–21. Due to rising tensions between Parcells and Kraft, the former was replaced by Pete Carroll in 1997. Meanwhile, the Patriots and the New York Jets began switching players and coaches, including current Jets head coach Eric Mangini, the aforementioned Parcells, and running back Curtis Martin. Nevertheless, New England finished 1997 with a 10–6 record and first place in the AFC East. The Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 17–3 at home in the opening round, before losing against the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 7–6. In the 1998 season, the Patriots finished 9–7, and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. A subpar 1999 season resulted in Carroll's firing. 2000-present
Logo and uniforms
Season-by-season records |- | colspan="6" align="center" | Boston Patriots (AFL) |- |1960 || 5 || 9 || 0 || 4th AFL East || – |- |1961 || 9 || 4 || 1 || 2nd AFL East || – |- |1962 || 9 || 4 || 1 || 2nd AFL East || – |- |1963 || 7 || 6 || 1 || 1st AFL East || Won Divisional Playoff (Bills) Lost AFL Championship (Chargers) |- |1964 || 10 || 3 || 1 || 2nd AFL East || – |- |1965 || 4 || 8 || 2 || 3rd AFL East || – |- |1966 || 8 || 4 || 2 || 2nd AFL East || – |- |1967 || 3 || 10 || 1 || 5th AFL East || – |- |1968 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 4th AFL East || – |- |1969 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 3rd AFL East || – |- | colspan="6" align="center" | Merged into NFL |- |1970 || 2 || 12 || 0 || 5th AFC East || – |- | colspan="6" align="center" | New England Patriots |- |1971 || 6 || 8 || 0 || 3rd AFC East || – |- |1972 || 3 || 11 || 0 || 5th AFC East || – |- |1973 || 5 || 9 || 0 || 3rd AFC East || – |- |1974 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 3rd AFC East || – |- |1975 || 3 || 11 || 0 || 4th AFC East || – |- |1976 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) |- |1977 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 3rd AFC East || – |- |1978 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Oilers) |- |1979 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || – |- |1980 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || – |- |1981 || 2 || 12 || 0 || 5th AFC East || – |- |1982 || 5 || 4 || 0 || 7th AFC Conf. || Lost First Round (Dolphins) |- |1983 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || – |- |1984 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || – |- |1985 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 3rd AFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Jets) Won Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Raiders) Won Conference Championship (Dolphins) Lost Super Bowl XX (Bears) |- |1986 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Broncos) |- |1987 || 8 || 7 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || – |- |1988 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 3rd AFC East || – |- |1989 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 4th AFC East || – |- |1990 || 1 || 15 || 0 || 5th AFC East || – |- |1991 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 4th AFC East || – |- |1992 || 2 || 14 || 0 || 5th AFC East || – |- |1993 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 4th AFC East || – |- |1994 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Browns) |- |1995 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 4th AFC East || – |- |1996 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Steelers) Won Conference Championship (Jaguars) Lost Super Bowl XXXI (Packers) |- |1997 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Dolphins) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Steelers) |- |1998 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 4th AFC East || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Jaguars) |- |1999 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 5th AFC East || – |- |2000 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 5th AFC East || – |- |2001 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) Won Conference Championship (Steelers) Won Super Bowl XXXVI (Rams) |- |2002 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd AFC East || – |- |2003 || 14 || 2 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Titans) Won Conference Championship (Colts) Won Super Bowl XXXVIII (Panthers) |- |2004 || 14 || 2 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Colts) Won Conference Championship (Steelers) Won Super Bowl XXXIX (Eagles) |- |2005|| 10 || 6 || 0 || 1st AFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Jaguars) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Broncos) |- |2006 !rowspan="3"|Totals || 342 || 336 || 9 |colspan="2"| (regular season, 1960-2006) |- ! 17 || 11 || 0 |colspan="2"| (playoffs, 1960-2005) |- ! 359 || 347 || 9 |colspan="2"| (all games, 1960-2006, including AFL & NFL playoffs) Current roster The following is accurate as of September 11 2006. Pro Football Hall of Famers Retired numbers In addition to the seven players above, QB Steve Grogan (14), QB Babe Parilli (15), LB Andre Tippett (56) and LB Nick Buoniconti (85) were inducted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame. Although their numbers have not been officially retired, none were worn by Patriots players in the 2005 season. Other notable alumni Head coaches See also | |||||||||||
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