On November 16, 1959, Boston business leader William "Billy" Sullivan and Sullivan Brother Printers, controlled by Joseph Sullivan, were given the eighth and final franchise of the nascent American Football League (AFL). The original eight teams were named after cities where an AFL team now resides: Houston Oilers, Indianapolis Indians, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Titans, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Senators. The Patriots played in blue uniforms with white stripes down the sides and around the collar.
The Sullivan family owned the Patriots until 1970 when they sold the team to Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., who would later become known for building and managing several famous sports venues including Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey and USF Stadium in Tampa, Florida. In 1975, DeBartolo Entertainment Corporation merged with National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to form a new company called NBC Inc.. The newly formed company planned to move the Patriots into the newly built NBC Television Center in Massachusetts Avenue near the Boston Garden. However, due to financial difficulties within the corporation, most of the plans for the television center were canceled and the team was sold back to the Sullivan family.
The Patriots of Boston The Boston Patriots were founded in 1959 as a founder member of the American Football League (AFL) before entering the NFL in 1970 as part of the AFL-NFL merger. The Patriots played their home games in different stadiums in Boston until 1971, when the franchise relocated to Foxborough. New England has been home to at least one professional football team ever since.
Other teams that have called New England home include the New York Yankees/New York Giants double-header in 1946, and the Boston Bruins from 1972-1974. The city was also the site of the first two World Series games played by either team - in 1903 and 1912. However, neither game resulted in a win for its respective team, as the results were canceled due to players' strikes that year. Boston is now known for its baseball tradition and has hosted many major league games over the years.
In addition to having multiple major league teams, Boston also has a strong college football presence with three NCAA Division I schools located within 90 minutes of each other: Harvard University, MIT, and Northeastern University. The Patriots themselves were once based near Boston, but now play their home games in Foxborough.
The first American football game was played between Harvard and Yale on November 6, 1872. The first official National Football League game was played on December 29, 1910 between Harvard and Columbia. The Patriots were originally named the Boston College Eagles but changed their name prior to the 1970 season.
The Patriots played at Fenway Park, the baseball home of the Boston Red Sox, from 1963 to 1969. Then, in 1971, two big events occurred. The club was renamed the New England Patriots and relocated to a new 60,764-seat stadium in Foxboro, roughly 25 miles south of Boston.
The New England Patriots' History On November 16, 1959, a group of local businessmen led by former public relations executive William H. "Billy" Sullivan, Jr. were given the eighth and final franchise in the fledgling American Football League.
The Patriots of New England The New England Patriots are a professional gridiron football team in the National Football League (NFL) headquartered in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots have six Super Bowl championships (2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019) and 11 AFC crowns.
Tom Brady 2013. Tom Brady Getty Images/Elsa Sport/Thinkstock The Boston Patriots joined the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 as the Boston Patriots and rapidly established themselves as a competitive club, led by quarterback Vito ("Babe") Parilli, linebacker Nick Buoniconti, and wide receiver Gino Cappelletti.
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