New England Patriots: Debunking the myths of past futility
The Good old Boston Patriots
The Boston Patriots began their life as a team in the American Football League (AFL) in 1960.
This was a league established to challenge the hegemony of the National Football League. No small undertaking. In the early years, the teams in the old AFL battled it out for that league’s championship in the pre-Super Bowl era.
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In the fourth year of the Patriots’ history they won the Eastern Division of the league, beat the Buffalo Bills 26-8 in a playoff game and advanced under Coach Mike Holovak to the AFL Championship game against the San Diego Chargers.
That Patriots’ team was led by future Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti, kicker/receiver Gino Cappelletti and quarterback Vito “Babe” Parilli.
Unfortunately, the Patriots didn’t fare well in the game against that San Diego juggernaut and were clobbered 51-10. But they did make it to the Championship game that year.
Boston had other good teams during the early part of the ’60s before tumbling over for a decade, beginning in 1966 and lasting until 1975. Not a good run. Indeed one of their worst spells and certainly warranting criticism.
Those teams were terrible. It was a bad period for the Patriots. One change occurred, however, that still reverberates into today, in 1971 the team became known as the New England Patriots and moved into their new home, Schaefer Stadium.