On November16, 1959, William Sullivan Jr. and a local group of businessman were awarded the eighth and final franchise in the new American Football League. Running back Ron Burton of Northwestern University became the clubs first draft selection. In 1960, key personnel were hired to operate the fledgling franchise. The following men were hired:
• Mike Holovak: Director of Player Personnel;
• Ed McKeever: General Manager; and
• Lou Saban: Head Coach
After hiring management staff, Sullivan’s goal was to create a great name for the future winner of three Superbowl championships. Could it possibly be the Boston Birds or the Boston Crabs?
Management issued a public contest to find the best name. Thousands of fans submitted their entries. The final decision was determined by 74 fans. Inspired by Boston’s role in the American Revolutionary War, the winning name was the Boston Patriots.
Artist Phil Bissell of the Boston Globe created the original helmet logo. The new logo would be of “Pat Patriot” snapping a football. Boston University Field, former home of the Boston Braves became the Patriots new home on April 1, 1960.
The Patriots opened training camp to 350 players on July 4, 1960 at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The original cuts were brutal as the roster was trimmed to 35 men. The Patriots won their first preseason game defeating the Buffalo Bills 28-7 at War Memorial stadium in Buffalo.
The opening home game witnessed a defeat by the Denver Broncos 13-10 in front of 21,597 screaming fans on September 9th. In 1963, the Patriots moved to Fenway Park for their home games and finished 7-6-1, while winning their first division title. Unfortunately, the San Diego Chargers ended their playoffs by crushing them by a score of 51-10.
By 1970, the Patriots had played at Boston University Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park and Boston College Alumni Stadium. In an effort to obtain a permanent home, Foxboro, Massachusetts became the new home of the Patriots. On March 1971, the Boston Patriots became the New England Patriots and began playing games at Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro.
In 1976, the Patriots earned a wild card berth and lost to the Oakland Raiders, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Some of the most outstanding players in Patriots history included: Nick Buoniconti, Jim Nance, John Hannah, Mike Haynes, and Russ Francis.
In 1982, Schaefer Stadium became Sullivan Stadium.
In 1985, the Wild Card Patriots defeated the New York Jets, Los Angeles Raiders and Miami Dolphins on the road to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XX. The Patriots dreams of a Superbowl Championship were crushed by the Chicago Bears in a 46-10 route.
On July 28, 1988, CEO Victor Kiam purchased the Patriots from the Sullivan family and owned the team for four years.
In 1990, the Patriots changed their stadium name from Sullivan Stadium to Foxboro stadium while installing natural grass.
On July 27, 1991, John Hannah became the first Patriot player to enter the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
In 1992, businessman James Orthwein purchased the Patriots. In 1993, Orthwein hired coach Bill Parcells and changed the Patriots logo.
On January 21, 1994, Robert K. Kraft became the fourth owner of the Patriots after purchasing the team from Orthwein.
In 1996, the Patriots won 11 regular season games and made it to their second Superbowl with victories over Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. Unfortunately, their season ended with a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, 35-21.
In 2000, the team unveiled designs for their new stadium. The new 68,436-seat facility celebrated its Grand Opening on Sept. 9, 2002. When Kraft purchased the Patriots, he promised to bring home a championship. So far, he has delivered with three Superbowl Titles (wins over the Rams, Panthers and Eagles). He nearly added a fourth one to the trophy case until the New York Giants defeated them by a score of 17-14 in Superbowl XLII.
In addition to Bob Kraft purchasing the team, he made two prolific moves. In 2000, Bill Belichick, a Bill Parcells disciple became the teams 14th head coach and franchise quarterback, Tom Brady, was drafted 199 overall in the 2000 draft.
With the 2007 additions of Randy Moss and Wes Welker, there may still be some more Superbowl gold for the 2008 Patriots!
No comments:
Post a Comment