|
|
New England Patriots Wiki Information
The New England Patriots
, commonly called the "Pats
", are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots
after relocating the team to Foxborough in 1971, although Foxborough is a suburb of Boston, away.
An original member of the American Football League (AFL), the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of those leagues. The team advanced to the playoffs four times before appearing in Super Bowl XX in January 1986, losing to the Chicago Bears. The team also appeared in Super Bowl XXXI in January 1997, losing to the Green Bay Packers.
Between 2001 and 2005, 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 eighth to win consecutive Super Bowls. The Patriots, however, were defeated by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, after winning the first 18 games of their 2007 season. Under quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have also compiled the two longest winning streaks in NFL history, an 18-game streak in 2003-2004, and a 21-game streak in 2006-2008 (the NFL excludes playoff games from their records). [1]
|
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS TICKETS
|
Franchise history
On November 16, 1959, Boston business executive 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". Immediately thereafter, Boston Globe artist Phil Bissell developed the "Pat Patriot" logo. [2]
The Patriots time in the AFL saw them struggle most years as they never had a regular home stadium. Nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium all served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. They did play in one AFL championship game, following the 1963 season. They lost to the San Diego Chargers 51–10. They would not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season game for another 13 years. [
]
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the AFC East division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for 30 years. As a result of the move, they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots. During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card-team—and in 1978—as AFC East champions. They lost in the first round both times. In 1985, they returned to the playoffs, and made it all the way to Super Bowl XX, which they lost to the Chicago Bears 46–10. Following their Super Bowl loss, they returned to the playoffs in 1986, but lost in the first round. The team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years. They changed ownership three times, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein in 1992. Orthwein intended to move the team to his native St. Louis, Missouri, but sold the team two years later to current owner Robert Kraft in 1994.[
]
Though Orthwein's period as owner was short and controversial, he did oversee major changes to the team. Former New York Giants coach Bill Parcells was hired in 1993, and the drastic changes were made the same year to the Patriots uniforms, changing their primary colors from their traditional red and white to blue and silver, and introducing a new logo. [3] Parcells would bring the Patriots to two playoff appearances, including Super Bowl XXXI, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 35–21. Pete Carroll, Parcells's successor, would also take the team to the playoffs twice.[
left banners at Gillette Stadium
The Patriots current coach, Bill Belichick, was hired in 2000, and a new home field, Gillette Stadium was opened in 2002. Under Belichick, the team won three Super Bowls in four years, and finished the 2007 regular season with a perfect 16–0 record, becoming only the fifth team in league history to go undefeated in the regular season, and the only one since the league expanded its regular season schedule to 16 games.][ After advancing to Super Bowl XLII, the team's fourth Super Bowl in seven years, the Patriots were defeated by the Giants to end their bid for a 19–0 season. With the loss, the Patriots ended the year at 18–1, becoming only one of three teams to go 18–1 along with the 1984 San Francisco 49ers and the 1985 Chicago Bears. Those teams, however, won the Super Bowl.
]
Notable players
Current roster
|
|
Quarterbacks
- 16 Matt Cassel
- 7 Matt Gutierrez
- 5 Kevin O'Connell
Running Backs
- 44 Heath Evans FB
- 33 Kevin Faulk
- 42 BenJarvus Green-Ellis
- 32 LaMont Jordan
- 34 Sammy Morris
Wide Receivers
- 88 Sam Aiken
- 10 Jabar Gaffney
- 81 Randy Moss
- 18 Matthew Slater
S/KR
- 15 Kelley Washington
- 83 Wes Welker PR
Tight Ends
- 85 Tyson DeVree
- 86 David Thomas
- 84 Benjamin Watson
|
| Offensive Linemen
- 65 Wesley Britt T
- 63 Dan Connolly C/G
- 71 Russ Hochstein G/C
- 77 Nick Kaczur T
- 67 Dan Koppen C
- 64 Mark LeVoir T
- 72 Matt Light T
- 70 Logan Mankins G
- 61 Stephen Neal G
- 74 Billy Yates G/C
Defensive Linemen
- 97 Jarvis Green DE
- 93 Richard Seymour DE
- 90 Le Kevin Smith DE/NT
- 94 Ty Warren DE
- 75 Vince Wilfork NT
- 99 Mike Wright NT/DE
|
| Linebackers
- 54 Tedy Bruschi ILB
- 95 Rosevelt Colvin OLB
- 59 Gary Guyton
ILB/OLB
- 53 Larry Izzo ILB
- 51 Jerod Mayo
ILB
- 49 Vince Redd
OLB
- 55 Junior Seau ILB
- 50 Mike Vrabel OLB
Defensive Backs
- 27 Ellis Hobbs CB/KR
- 31 Brandon Meriweather S
- 21 Deltha O'Neal CB
- 35 Mike Richardson CB
- 36 James Sanders S
- 29 Lewis Sanders S/CB
- 28 Antwain Spann S
- 41 Raymond Ventrone S/WR
- 24 Jonathan Wilhite
CB
Special Teams
- 3 Stephen Gostkowski K
- 6 Chris Hanson P
- 66 Lonie Paxton LS
|
| Reserve Lists
- 52 Eric Alexander ILB (IR)
- 12 Tom Brady QB (IR)
- 98 Shawn Crable
OLB (IR)
- 37 Rodney Harrison SS (IR)
- 39 Laurence Maroney RB (IR)
- 68 Ryan O'Callaghan OT (IR)
- 91 Bo Ruud
ILB (IR)
- 95 Kenny Smith DE (IR)
- 75 Barry Stokes T/G (IR)
- 96 Adalius Thomas OLB (IR)
- 22 Terrence Wheatley
CB (IR)
- 26 Tank Williams S/ILB (IR)
- 58 Pierre Woods OLB (IR)
Practice Squad
- 62 Titus Adams DE
- 48 Angelo Craig
OLB
- 30 Mark Dillard
S
- 1 Tom Malone P
- 17 Maurice Price WR
- 92 ''Darrell Robertson OLB
- 62 Ryan Wendell
G/C
Rookies in italics
updated 2008-12-13
•
53 Active, 13 Inactive, 7 PS
? More rosters
|
Pro Football Hall of Famers
- 85 Nick Buoniconti, LB, 1962–68, elected 2001
- 73 John Hannah, G, 1973–85, elected 1991
- 40 Mike Haynes, CB, 1976–82, elected 1997
- 56 Andre Tippett, LB, 1982–93, elected 2008
Retired numbers
- 20 Gino Cappelletti, K/WR, 1960–70
- 40 Mike Haynes, CB, 1976–82
- 57 Steve Nelson, LB, 1974–87
- 73 John Hannah, G, 1973–85
- 78 Bruce Armstrong, OT, 1987–2000
- 79 Jim Lee Hunt, DL, 1960–71
- 89 Bob Dee, DL, 1960–67
Patriots Hall of Fame
The New England Patriots feature 14 former players and one contributor in their team hall of fame, established in 1991. A committee of media and staff selected 11 players for enshrinement between 1991 and 2001, before a six-year span of no selections. In 2007, in advance of the 2008 opening of the Hall at Patriot Place, the Patriots introduced a new nomination committee to select three candidates, with the winner of an internet fan vote being enshrined in the hall of fame. [4] Former owner Billy Sullivan was inducted by owner Robert Kraft in March 2009 as a contributor. [5]
1990s
1991 #73 John Hannah, G, 1973–85
1992 #85 Nick Buoniconti, LB, 1962–68
1992 #20 Gino Cappelletti, K/WR, 1960–70
1993 #89 Bob Dee, DL, 1960–67
1993 #79 Jim Lee Hunt, DL, 1960–71
1993 #57 Steve Nelson, LB, 1974–87
1993 #15 Babe Parilli, QB, 1961–67
1994 #40 Mike Haynes, CB, 1976–82
1995 #14 Steve Grogan, QB, 1975–90
1999 #56 Andre Tippett, LB, 1982–93
|
2000s
2001 #78 Bruce Armstrong, OT, 1987–2000
2007 #86 Stanley Morgan, WR, 1977–89
2008 #87 Ben Coates, TE, 1991–99
2009 Billy Sullivan, owner, 1960–1988
2009 #35 Jim Nance, FB, 1965–71
|
All-decade teams
1960s (AFL)
In November 1971, fans voted on a 10-year Patriots anniversary team, which coincided with the team's 10 years in the then-defunct American Football League: [6] Additional selections for returner, special teamer, and coach were added in 2009: [7]
1970s, 1980s, 1990s
In March 2009, as part of the Patriots' 50th anniversary, a group of local media and other team figures selected all-decade teams for the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s:
Anniversary teams
35th anniversary (1994)
In 1994, a group of local media selected a 35th anniversary team:
50th anniversary (2009)
In 2009, the Patriots Hall of Fame selection committee selected a 50th anniversary team:
All-time first-round draft picks
| Draft
| Player name
| Position
| College
| Notes
|
| Year
| Pick
|
| 2000
| No first-round draft pick
| [8]
|
| 2001
| 6
| Richard Seymour
| DT
| Georgia
|
|
| 2002
| 21
| Daniel Graham
| TE
| Colorado
| [9]
|
| 2003
| 13
| Ty Warren
| DT
| Texas A&M
| [10]
|
| 2004
| 21
| Vince Wilfork
| DT
| Miami (FL)
| [11]
|
| 32
| Benjamin Watson
| TE
| Georgia
|
|
| 2005
| 32
| Logan Mankins
| OG
| Fresno State
|
|
| 2006
| 21
| Laurence Maroney
| RB
| Minnesota
|
|
| 2007
| 24
| Brandon Meriweather
| S
| Miami (FL)
| [12]
|
| 2008
| 10
| Jerod Mayo
| LB
| Tennessee
| [13]
|
| 2009
| No first-round draft pick
| [14]
|
Coaches
Head coaches
Current staff
|
|
|
|
|
| Front Office
- Owner/Chairman/CEO – Robert Kraft
- President – Jonathan Kraft
- Vice President of Player Personnel – Scott Pioli
- Director of Player Personnel – Nick Caserio
- Assistant Director of College Scouting - Jon Robinson
- Football Research Director – Ernie Adams
Head Coaches
- Head Coach – Bill Belichick
- Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Dante Scarnecchia
Offensive Coaches
- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Josh McDaniels
- Running Backs – Ivan Fears
- Wide Receivers – Bill O'Brien
- Tight Ends – Pete Mangurian
|
|
|
Defensive Coaches
- Defensive Coordinator – Dean Pees
- Defensive Line – Pepper Johnson
- Linebackers – Matt Patricia
- Special Assistant/Secondary – Dom Capers
Special Teams Coaches
- Special Teams – Brad Seely
Strength and Conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning – Mike Woicik
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Harold Nash
Coaching Assistants
- Josh Boyer, Brian Flores, Shane Waldron
?
? More NFL staffs
|
Cheerleaders
The Patriots NFL Cheerleaders are simply known as The Patriots Cheerleaders. In 2005, cheerleader Kristin Gauvin won Miss Massachusetts, in part from her local commitment with the Patriots.
End-zone militia
During each game, about 10 men dressed as minutemen line the back of each end zone. When the Patriots score a touchdown or field goal, the militia behind the opposite end zone fire a round of blanks from flintlock muskets. After the point-after-touchdown (PAT) attempt, the men fire their guns to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. ESPN named this one of the top ten celebrations in the league in 2007. [15]
Radio and television
The Patriots' flagship radio station is WBZ-FM 98.5 FM, owned by CBS Radio. The larger radio network is called the New England Patriots Radio Network, whose 37 affiliate stations span 7 states. Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti are the longtime announcing team.
Any preseason games not on national television are shown on CBS affiliate WBZ-TV. These games were broadcast on ABC affiliate WCVB-TV from 1995 until the change to WBZ in 2009. Don Criqui has been the play-by-play announcer the last several years, with Randy Cross as a color commentator and Mike Lynch as a sideline reporter. Lynch was replaced by WBZ reporter Steve Burton in 2009.
Notes and references
- NFL.com Records: Games Won
- Official New England Patriots History
- Article by Bill Plaschke on Kevin Loh's design of the new Patriots' logo. LATIMES.COM. Accessed January 20, 2008.
- Ben Coates elected to Patriots Hall of Fame
- Sullivan inducted into team's Hall
- Patriots Anniversary Teams
- Patriots All-Decade teams announced
- The Patriots forfeited their #16 overall pick to the Jets in compensation for hiring Bill Belichick - Pro Football Draft History 2000
- Acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins - Pro Football Draft History 2002
- Acquired from the Washington Redskins through the New York Jets and Chicago Bears - Pro Football Draft History 2003
- Acquired from the Baltimore Ravens - Pro Football Draft History 2004
- Acquired from the Seattle Seahawks - Pro Football Draft History 2007
- Acquired from the New Orleans Saints - Pro Football Draft History 2008
- The Patriots traded their #23 overall pick to the Baltimore Ravens - Pro Football Draft History 2009
- ESPN.com It's a Celebration: Best NFL Touchdown Celebrations, Josh Pahigian, 12/3/07
See also
|
| American football}}portal
|
All Wikipedia content is licensed under the GNU Free Document License or is otherwise used here in compliance with the Copyright Act
|