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The New England Patriots, nicknamed the "'''Pats'''" by sports writers and fans, ESPN.com An example of the "Pats" nickname being used within sports reports. Accessed 26 January 2006. are a professional American Football team based in Foxborough , Massachusetts . The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The owners changed the name from the original '''Boston Patriots''' after Relocating The Team to Foxborough in 1971 . 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 1997 , losing to the Green Bay Packers . Between 2000 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 (and to date, most recent) to win consecutive Super Bowls. Their success in the early part of the decade has prompted many to dub the team as a modern NFL Dynasty . FRANCHISE HISTORY 1959–1969 On November 16 1959 , Boston 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, Phil Bisell developed the "Pat Patriot" logo (see Logos And Uniforms Of The New England Patriots ). Training camp started on , 1960, the Boston Patriots played the Denver Broncos in the first-ever AFL regular season game. The Patriots were defeated by a score of 13–10. The Patriots missed the AFL playoffs for their first three seasons. However, in 1963 the Patriots reached the AFL Championship for the first time; they lost to the San Diego Chargers 51–10. The Patriots failed to make it to the AFL playoffs for the rest of the decade. During this period Jim Nance developed into an offensive weapon for the Patriots, 1966 , when he was the American Football League's MVP . Jim Nance statistics Accessed 25 January 2006. NFL MVP player of the year Accessed 25 January 2006. 1970–1991 The Patriots' second decade began with significant changes. 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. The team lacked stability and was forced to play at four different sites. Finally, the Patriots moved into a new stadium in Foxborough (also known as Foxboro). The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium , became Sullivan Stadium in 1983 and, ultimately, Foxboro Stadium in 1990 . In March 1971 , the team was renamed the "Bay State Patriots" and later that year the '''"New England Patriots"''' to reflect the relocation. By the early was hired as head coach and General Manager in 1973 after leading a top-ten program at the University Of Oklahoma . The Patriots finished 7–7 in 1974 and 3–11 in 1975 , which resulted in offensive changes. Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and replaced by Steve Grogan . After the string of losing seasons, the Patriots finished the 1976 Season with an 11–3 mark — the best record in team history to that point — and a playoff slot for the first time since 1963 . In the first round of the 1976 Playoffs , the Patriots lost to the Oakland Raiders 24–21. In 1978 , Fairbanks was fired as head coach when it was revealed he had been secretly hired as the new head coach of the University Of Colorado . Fairbanks was replaced by Ron Erhardt , who coached the team to a playoff appearance later that year. The Patriots lost to the Houston Oilers in the First Round . Under new coach Ron Meyer , the Patriots were once again eliminated in the First Game — this time by the Miami Dolphins . With the team unable to assemble playoff victories, the Sullivans replaced head coach Ron Meyer with former Wide Receiver Raymond Berry in 1984 . In the by a score of 46-10. The following season, New England won the AFC East with another 11–5 record, but fell to the Broncos in the first round of the playoffs. Local resident Doug Flutie was a member of the Patriots during the 1987 and 1988 seasons, in which they finished with records of 8–7 and 9–7, respectively. Berry remained head coach through both seasons. During the late — a change that was short-lived. The Patriots' worst season in franchise history — a 1-15 record — came under Rust in 1990. During the season, the Patriots were thrown into the middle of a sexual harassment scandal when '' Boston Herald '' reporter Lisa Olson was sexually and verbally assaulted by several Patriots players in the team's locker room and was later labeled a "classic bitch" by Kiam. Following an investigation into the scandal, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue fined the team $50,000 USD, and players Zeke Mowatt , Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman $12,500, $5,000, and $5,000 USD respectively. Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson at the end of the season. The Olson scandal and the 1-15 record are cited as the two primary reasons why Rod Rust was told to leave. Lisa Olsen sexual harassment scandal Accessed 31 January 2006. 1992–1997 In to the present; sign of the coming streak came in 1994 when all home games sold out before the season began. New England entered the 1994 season after drafting first round and fourth overall pick on defensive end Willie McGinest , who would later play Linebacker on all three Super Bowl-winning teams. The 1994 club struggled to 3-6 but rallied to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in overtime and finished 10-6. Although the team lost in the first round of the Playoffs and finished the 1995 Season with a 6–10 record, Kraft decided to keep Parcells; however Parcells was forced to give up control of player personnel. In 1996, the Patriots finished with an 11–5 record and an AFC East division championship. The team eventually advanced to Super Bowl XXXI , where they lost to the Green Bay Packers 35–21. Parcells would leave to coach the New York Jets . 1997–2000 Due to rising tensions between Parcells and Kraft, Parcells resigned, and was replaced by Pete Carroll in 1997 . Meanwhile, the Patriots and the New York Jets began switching players and coaches, including the aforementioned Parcells and running back Curtis Martin . Nevertheless, New England finished with a 10–6 record and first place in the AFC East. The Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 17–3 at home in the opening round, before losing against the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 7–6. In the 1998 Season , the Patriots finished 9–7, and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. A subpar 1999 Season followed in which the Patriots erupted to 6-2 but collapsed after their bye week to finish 8-8. The second half of the season resulted in Carroll's firing. 2000–present After Carroll was fired, . In , Kraft paid $2.4 million USD to Connecticut to avoid any future litigation. Sportslawnews.com Information on the reversal of the Hartford deal. Accessed 18 April 2006. The state-of-the-art stadium is widely considered to be one of the premier stadiums in the NFL. Information about Gillette Stadium Accessed 31 January, 2006 Additional information about Gillette Stadium Accessed 31 January, 2006 The Patriots missed the 2002 Playoffs after finishing with a record of 9–7 and missing out on the division title via a tiebreaker to the New York Jets. In 2003 , the Patriots started 2–2 but finished with a 14–2 record and fourteen straight wins on their way to Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Carolina Panthers . The Patriots won by a score of 32–29; the final three points came from another Adam Vinatieri field goal. Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career. In 2004 , the Patriots broke the NFL all-time regular season consecutive winning streak record of 18 straight wins, with a victory against the Miami Dolphins. Later in the season, the Patriots lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which halted their winning streak at 21 games. However, the NFL only counts regular-season wins in determining the consecutive wins record, so the Patriots' streak officially stands at 18 games. After finishing the 2004 season with a 14-2 record, the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers en route to Super Bowl XXXIX . The Patriots went on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24–21. The victory made the Patriots the first team in six years to repeat as NFL Super Bowl champions, and the second team ever to win three Super Bowls in four years. After the 2004 season, Belichick's top two coordinators, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel , left the team to pursue head coaching positions. Significant players moved on as well, including longtime Patriot Cornerback Ty Law . Linebacker Tedy Bruschi missed half of the 2005 Season while recovering from a mild stroke. During the 2005 season, the team lost several starters to injuries. The Patriots won the AFC East with a 10–6 record. The Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 28–3 in the first round of the Playoffs before losing to the Denver Broncos 27–13. New England became the seventh team in NFL history to fail on a chance to win the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons, the last team to do so being the Broncos. The 2006 Off-season saw the departure and arrival of several personnel. They finished the 2006 regular season with a 12-4 record and won the AFC East for the fourth consecutive time. The Patriots went on to defeat their rival, the Jets 37-16 in the Wild Card Round . The following game, Brady, despite throwing 3 INTs, engineered a 4th quarter comeback to defeat the San Diego Chargers by the score of 24-21. They faced the Colts in the AFC Championship but lost 38-34 after leading 21-3 early in the game, to date the largest collapse in NFL conference championship history. The team's on field performance and attendance has drastically improved since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. Before Kraft, the Patriots won the AFC East three times, made the playoffs six times (including their AFL Championship berth in 1963) in 34 years and went to the Super Bowl once. Since Kraft, the Patriots have won the AFC East eight times, made the playoffs nine times and have been to the Super Bowl on four occasions, winning three. From the 1996 season onward, every Patriots home game has sold out, both at Foxboro and Gillette stadiums, including preseason games. Attendance information from 1980- Accessed 1 February 2006 Specific information on 2003- Sell-out streak Accessed 1 February 2006 Logo and uniforms See Also: Logos and uniforms of the New England Patriots The original Patriot logo was developed in 1960 by artist Phil Bissell. Patriots History . Logo design information. Accessed 26 January 2006. The logo featured a New England-originated Revolutionary War Minuteman snapping a football while not dressed in football gear. Initial Patriots owner William Sullivan coined the logo's nickname: "Pat Patriot". Patriots History . Logo naming information. Accessed 26 January 2006. Meanwhile, the team's original uniforms were red with white and blue stripes on their sleeves, and white pants and helmets. Initially, the helmets featured a Revolutionary War-era tricorn hat; however, this design was replaced with the Pat Patriot logo in 1961. i-NFL Helmet Information relating to the evolution of the Patriots' helmets. Accessed 28 January 2006. In 1993 changes to the Patriots' uniforms and logo were rolled out by brief Patriots owner James B. Orthwein. Patriots History . Changes. Accessed 26 January 2006. The old "Pat Patriot" logo was retired and replaced with a stylized Patriot head in silhouette wearing a red-white-and-blue tricorn hat, designed in tandem with NFL Properties that fans and sports officials would eventually nickname the "Flying Elvis ". NFLHistory.net Information on the Patriots' ownership, including the start of the "Flying Elvis" logo. Accessed 26 January 2006. The team's uniforms were changed from red to "Patriot" (dark) blue, and both the helmets and pants from white to silver. NFLHistory.net Color changes; one of the colors is called "Patriot" blue by this source. Accessed 28 January 2006. In 2000 the team developed additional changes to their logo and uniform. Although the "Flying Elvis" logo remained, a darker blue color was introduced. i-NFL Helmet . Mention of helmet and uniform changes in 2000. Accessed 30 January 2006. Strategy See Also: New England Patriots strategy PLAYERS OF NOTE Current roster Pro Football Hall of Famers
Retired numbers
In addition to the seven players above, QB . Other notable alumni All-time first-round draft picks COACHES OF NOTE Head coaches
Current staff CHEERLEADERS The Patriots NFL Cheerleader s are simply known as the The Patriots Cheerleaders. In 2005, cheerleader Kristin Gauvin won Miss Massachusetts , in part from her local commitment with the Patriots. RADIO AND TELEVISION As of 2006 , the Patriots' flagship radio station is WBCN 104.1FM, owned by CBS Radio . The larger radio network is called the "Patriots Rock Radio Network," whose 35 affiliate stations span over 7 states. Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti are the longtime announcing team. Any preseason games not on national television are shown on ABC affiliate WCVB , channel 5. Don Criqui has been the Play-by-play announcer the last several years, with Randy Cross as an analyst and Mike Lynch as a reporter. NOTES AND REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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