The New England Patriots are a well-known modern-day NFL powerhouse dynasty; they’ve racked up four Super Bowl wins in the last 15 years. The franchise, however, has been around for decades, getting its start in the waning years of the 1950s when a group led by businessman William H. Sullivan Jr. captured the eighth and final franchise in the brand new American Football League.
Locals poured name suggestions into the new team’s Boston mailbox. Sullivan ultimately chose “Boston Patriots,” a moniker suggested by 74 fans. The team’s first 11 seasons were spent in four different Boston stadiums, but they eventually moved to suburban Foxborough to set up shop in a brand new stadium in 1971. After the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the team was placed in the AFC East, where they remain today. Shortly after, they also took on a new team name – the New England Patriots. This helped reflect their location change as well as their growing popularity throughout the general New England area.
Success in New England
The early years of the Patriots didn’t induce much cheering – the only time they reached the playoffs before 1976 was a 1963 roll that ended with an AFL Championship defeat. However, one of the bright lights of those days was fullback and Pro Bowler Sam Cunningham, who was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2010. The squad steadily gained ground after those years, though, and had two playoff appearances before finally reaching the Super Bowl in their 1985 season – which the team did not win.
Things started to finally change in the ’90s. Drew Bledsoe was drafted by the Patriots as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. He’d shone for the Patriots, throwing 4,555 yards his second year with the club, leading the NFL. He continued to be a prolific passer until the 2001 season, when he was sidelined with a serious injury during the second game of the season. Ultimately, this resulted in a quarterback change for the franchise.
That quarterback was Tom Brady. Brady was also drafted by the Patriots, but not as the first pick, nor even in the first round. He was a sixth-round draft pick in the 2000 NFL Draft and backed up Bledsoe for the first season and then some, but eventually took over the reins when Bledsoe was knocked out with his injury. Once he settled into the captain’s chair, Brady never looked back. When Bledsoe was medically cleared to return to play, Brady remained the starter. Since then, he has gone down in Patriots (and NFL) history as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. He has led the team to six Super Bowls, and he has won the Lombardi trophy four times.
The team has come a long way from their humble beginnings as one of the AFL’s first teams, and so has their logo. Let’s take a look at how it has changed over the years.
Patriot Pride
1960: The original logo is a simple blue and white tricorner hat. The design, much like the name of the Patriots themselves, is inspired by a fan named Walter Pingree.
1961–1964: The 1961 season sees the introduction of “Pat Patriot,” the brainchild of Boston Globe cartoonist Phil Bissell. Team owner Billy Sullivan is so inspired by Bissell’s cartoons that he makes Pat Patriot getting ready to snap the ball the official team logo.
1965–1970: Pat Patriot remains the team logo, but his features become more refined and realistic.
1971–1992: In 1971, there are a few minor changes to the logo, most notably to the skin color of Pat Patriot himself.
1993–1999: Pat Patriot is retired after the 1992 season, and a new logo makes an appearance. It features a gray-faced minuteman sporting a red, white, and blue tricorner hat, which seems to flap in the breeze.
2000–Present: The present-day logo is put into place for the 2000 season and is nearly identical to the prior logo, except that it is a darker shade of blue.
Whether you’re a fan of the Patriots early AFL days, or a newer fan of the modern squad, Fanatics.com has a ton of Patriot garb, including jerseys, baby clothes, and even stocking caps. Check it out today.
Sources
- http://www.patriots.com/team/history
- http://sportsteamhistory.com/new-england-patriots
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CunnSa00.htm
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BledDr00.htm
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1994/leaders.htm
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGnD-2zUidM
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BradTo00.htm
- http://www.patriots.com/news/evolution-patriots-logo-and-uniform
