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New England Patriots Information:
In 1970 the Patriots became a member of the NFL pursuant to the merger of the AFL and NFL that had been agreed to three years earlier.After bouncing around between four different Boston-area stadiums in their first 11 seasons, in 1971 the Patriots moved into a new stadium in Foxboro,on land granted by the Bay State Raceway. The team was renamed the New England Patriots in March 1971, to reflect its new location roughly halfway between Providence and Boston, as well as a desire to better position itself as New England's regional NFL team. The stadium, to be known as Schaefer Stadium, was built at a cost of about $7.1 million in only 325 days. The stadium was one of the first stadiums in the country to be named after a corporate sponsor, the Schaefer Brewing Company paying $150,000 for naming rights. (On expiration of the sponsorship agreement in 1983, the stadium name in 1983 would be changed to Sullivan Stadium, and to Foxboro Stadium in 1990.)
The first event held at the new Schaefer Stadium was a preseason game against the New York Giants on August 15, 1971. In a sign of things to come, in the days leading up to the game there was great concern with the plumbing at the facility. To ensure the proper functioning of the plumbing a "flush-off" was conducted, where every toilet in the stadium was flushed at the same time, to ensure that the plumbing could withstand the heaviest use.On the field in 1971 was a new quarterback, Heisman Trophy [3] winner Jim Plunkett [4]. Plunkett, from Stanford University was the first overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft which the Patriots received for having finished with the NFL's worst record in 1970 [5]. The Patriots also drafted Randy Vataha, who had been one of Plunkett's favorite receivers at Stanford.
In 1973 the team hired Chuck Fairbanks, who had enjoyed success as head coach of the University of Oklahoma, as head coach. The Patriots showed marked improvement in Fairbanks' first season 1974 finishing 7-7, but with injuries to Plunkett in 1975, regressed to 3-11 that season. Following the 1975 season, Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, and eventually would win 2 Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders.
The draft picks acquired in the Plunkett trade were used to select defensive backs Mike Haynes and Tim Fox and set the stage for the team's first winning seasons in the NFL. Second year player Steve Grogan - who had played much of the 1975 season with Plunkett hurt - became New England's unquestioned top quarterback for the 1976 season. The Patriots finished 11-3 - their best record in team history to that point - and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1963.
1977 was a disappointing season, aided by contract holdouts by offensive linemen John Hannah and Leon Gray. The Patriots finished 9-5, one game out of first place, and out of the playoffs. Then 1978 began with a great tragedy. In a preseason game against the Raiders, wide receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed from the neck down by Oakland's Jack Tatum on a hit in a preseason game [6]. Tatum, who would write a book called "They Call Me Assassin", never apologized for the hit. Despite this devastating loss, the Patriots would rally and finish 11-5 for their first post-merger AFC East title. However, hours before the final game of the season, coach Chuck Fairbanks surprised many by announcing he would be leaving the team to become head coach at the University of Colorado. Owner Billy Sullivan immediately suspended Fairbanks and hired Ron Erhardt to coach the final game. The stunned team lost its first round playoff game to the Houston Oilers, which also was the first Patriots post-season game at Schaefer Stadium.
For the next two years the Patriots would suffer late-season collpases that would deny them return trips to the playoffs. Following the 1981 season Erhardt was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer, who had been the head coach at Southern Methodist University. The Patriots had the top draft pick overall in 1982 and selected Ken Sims, defensive end from the University of Texas, who would largely prove to be a dissapointment. In the strike-shortened year of 1982, the highlight of the Patriots season was the so-called "Snow Plow Game," a controversial 3-0 late-season win over the Miami Dolphins. The controversy came in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were preparing for a field goal attempt. Mark Henderson, a convict on work release, used a John Deere tractor with a rotating sweeper to clear a swath of field to aid the Patriots. Kicker John Smith's 33-yard attempt was good, and the points would prove to be the only points scored by either team that afternoon. The win would help put the Patriots in the playoffs, but the first-round rematch in Miami was easily won by the Dolphins.
In 1983 rookie Tony Eason was drafted in the first round, the fourth of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Eason would play sparingly in 1983, but would become the Patriots' starting quarterback in 1984. Meanwhile, the team's pattern of not being able to finish seasons strong became apparent again. The team again lost some key games late, and finished out of the playoffs at 8-8. The Patriots would acquire the top draft pick overall for the 1984 draft, in what was considered one of the weakest draft classes in several years. With the top pick the Patriots selected Irving Fryar, wide receiver from the University of Nebraska. With Tony Eason starting the Patriots got off to a strong 5-2 start. However after a pair of losses the Patriots fired head coach Ron Meyer, and replaced him with former Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry. The players initially responded well to Berry, winning three of their first four games under him. However, showing once again a failure to finish strong, the Patriots again lost three straight games in December, and again missed the playoffs at 9-7.
Despite their season-ending failures, people around the league were starting to take notice of the Patriots and see them as a talented team that needed to learn how to win. Finally in 1985, this potential would begin to be realized, bringing the Patriots their best success to date.
But a new Millennium brought change for the Patriots. Head coach Bill Belichick ushered in a new era for the Patriots – a winning era. On the arm of Tom Brady and the “golden foot” of Adam Vinatieri the Patriots have gone on to win the Super Bowl in 2001, 2003, and 2004, making them the reining champions of the world.
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