The New England Patriots, or "Pats" as frequently referred to by sports writers and fans,[1] are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They currently belong to the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Originally called the Boston Patriots, the ownership changed location name after relocating the team to Foxborough in 1971.

After forming in 1960, the Patriots advanced to the playoffs four times before their first Super Bowl appearance: Super Bowl XX in 1986. The team also lost Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. However, between 2001 and 2005, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history (after the Dallas Cowboys) to win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX). Additionally, the Patriots are the seventh team in NFL history to win back to back Super Bowls (XXXVIII and XXXIX respectively).

On November 16 1959, Boston executive William "Billy" Sullivan 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. Afterward, Phil Bisell developed the "Pat Patriot" logo (see section).

The franchise's first training camp started on July 4, 1960, two months prior to their first official game.[2] On September 9, 1960, 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. In their first three seasons, the Patriots posted a cumulative record of 23–17, though they failed to reach the playoffs in all three years. However, in 1963 the Patriots reached the AFL Championship for the first time, which resulted in a loss to the San Diego Chargers 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, and Babe Parilli.

The Patriots were unsuccessful in reaching the AFL playoffs for the remainder of the decade. Nevertheless, fullback Jim Nance developed into an offensive weapon for the Patriots, gaining 1,458 yards in 1966, when he was the American Football League's MVP.[3][4] Moreover, Tom Addison, the first Patriot All-star, founded the AFL Players Association in the mid 1960's.

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.

In 1971, after shifting between four different Boston-area stadiums in their first 11 seasons, the Patriots moved into a new stadium in Foxborough (also known as Foxboro). The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, would become Sullivan Stadium in 1983 and, ultimately, Foxboro Stadium in 1990. In March 1971 the team was renamed the "New England Patriots" in order to reflect the fact that the team was now located outside of the Boston city limits.

The Patriots' series of losing seasons continued into the 1970s. Players during the early 1970s included Heisman Trophy[5] winner Jim Plunkett[6] and offensive lineman John Hannah, who would become the first career Patriot to make the Hall of Fame in 1991.[7]

Chuck Fairbanks was hired as head coach in 1973. The Patriots finished 7–7 in 1974 and 3–11 in 1975, which resulted in offensive changes. Pluckett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and replaced by second year player Steve Grogan. Grogan and Fairbanks found success in 1976 when the Patriots finished 11–3—the best record in team history to that point—and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1963. Despite the successful season, the Patriots lost to the Oakland Raiders 24–21 in the first round of the playoffs. The following year, Fairbanks was fired as head coach and replaced by Ron Erhardt, who, in turn, was followed by Ron Meyer in 1981. From 1977 to 1984, the Patriots missed the playoffs six times; the 1978 and 1982 seasons both resulted in first round playoff losses. Looking to improve leadership, the Sullivans replaced head coach Ron Meyer with former wide receiver Raymond Berry in 1984.

In 1985, the Patriots went 11-5 in the regular season and obtained a wild card berth under Raymond Berry. They became the first team to win three road games en route to the Super Bowl.[8] Although the team enjoyed a 3–0 lead in the first quarter, the Patriots lost against the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. The following season, New England won the AFC East with another 11–5 record, but lost to the Denver Broncos in the first round. Local resident Doug Flutie played several games with the Patriots during the 1987–88 seasons, in which the Patriots finished with records of 8–7 and 9–7, respectively.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Patriots' lack of playoff appearances was underscored by coaching changes and controversy within the organization, namely, the Sullivan ownership.[9] The Sullivan family lost millions of dollars on expensive investments, including The Jacksons 1984 Victory tour. Furthermore, up to the mid-1980s, the ownership spent nearly 100 million dollars on the franchise.[10] Consequently, the Sullivans were forced to sell the team to Remington shaver magnate Victor Kiam in 1988 for $84 million.[11] However, Billy Sullivan and his son, Pat Sullivan, remained franchise president and General Manager respectively.[12] Meanwhile, entrepreneur Robert Kraft began his involvement with the Patriots by purchasing Sullivan Stadium (previously Schaefer Stadium) on November 23, 1988.[13] During this leadership change, head coach Berry was replaced by Rod Rust.

The Patriots' worst season in franchise history came under Rod Rust in 1990, when the team finished 1–15. Rust was fired after the 1990 season and replaced by Dick MacPherson. In September 1990, the Patriots were thrown in the middle of a sexual harassment scandal when Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson was sexually harassed and verbally assaulted by several Patriots players in the team's locker room. The NFL investigated the incident and following the report NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue fined the team $50,000, as well as players Zeke Mowatt, Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman who were fined $12,500, $5,000 and $5,000 respectively for the Lisa Olson incident. This is cited as one of the several reasons why Rod Rust was quickly fired from his post as Head Coach.