Highlights
The New England Patriots are a professional football team that has enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout its checkered history. Under owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots won three Super Bowls during a four-year period (2001-04). The team originated when Boston businessman William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise in the upstart American Football League on Nov. 16, 1959. Originally known as the Boston Patriots, the team played home games at several venues during the 1960s, including six years at Fenway Park. The Patriots were one of 10 AFL teams that joined the NFL when the two leagues merged on Feb. 1, 1970. The following year, t...
The New England Patriots are a professional football team that has enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout its checkered history. Under owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots won three Super Bowls during a four-year period (2001-04). The team originated when Boston businessman William H. "Billy" Sullivan Jr. was awarded the eighth and final franchise in the upstart American Football League on Nov. 16, 1959. Originally known as the Boston Patriots, the team played home games at several venues during the 1960s, including six years at Fenway Park. The Patriots were one of 10 AFL teams that joined the NFL when the two leagues merged on Feb. 1, 1970. The following year, the team was renamed the New England Patriots and started playing home games at newly built Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The venue would be renamed twice, first as Sullivan Stadium (1983-89) in honor of the man who founded the franchise and later as Foxboro Stadium (1990-2001) after Sullivan sold the team to Victor Kiam, owner and CEO of Remington Products in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1988. In 1992, Kiam sold the controlling interest of the team to James Orthwein. The ownership changed hands two years later when Kraft, who strategically purchased Sullivan Stadium in November 1988 with the hopes of buying the team some day, fulfilled a lifelong dream when he became the fourth owner in Patriots history on Feb. 25, 1994. The following day fans responded to the sale by purchasing nearly 6,000 season tickets, a single-day sales record at the time. The Patriots have come a long way. At his introductory press conference as head coach in 1969, Clive Rush was shocked, literally, when he grabbed a microphone that wasn't grounded and received a jolt. With the team headed to the postseason in 1978, fans were stunned to learn that coach Chuck Fairbanks had accepted a job to be the University of Colorado coach. The team suspended Fairbanks for the final game of the regular season but reinstated him for the playoffs and the Patriots played like a distracted team in a 34-14 loss to Houston. In 1985, the Patriots won three playoff games on the road for the team's first trip to the Super Bowl. Days after getting hammered by the Bears 46-10, six Patriots players were identified as drug users. The next time the Patriots played in the Super Bowl, there was more dysfunction. A power struggle between coach Bill Parcels and Kraft resulted in Parcells quitting shortly after a 35-21 loss to the Packers. He was replaced by Pete Carroll, who lasted three seasons. The Belichick era began in 2000 and coincided with the opening of Gillette Stadium two years later. In Belichick's first eight seasons, the team won the AFC East six times and three world championships with Tom Brady as quarterback.
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Ravens lifted hopes; now fans feel let down
The more I watch the Ravens in their first season under coach John Harbaugh, the more they remind me of what happened to the Orioles this year and the more they validate my philosophy of life, so I hope you're ready to be enlightened: Never raise the...Tags: Ed Reed, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Willis McGahee, Derrick Mason
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Connecting again
Look at the picture, taken in a dime-store photo booth in 1955. What do you see? A black-and-white snapshot of black and white buddies hanging out - in black-and-white, segregated times. They seem an odd pair. One wears a wide smile, a starched shirt...Tags: Multi-Sport Events, Values, Colleges and Universities, Super Bowl, National Football League
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Cookbooks, vanilla blend extract, guava rum
It's all fun and games until somebody gets tackled in the kitchen. Until then, football fans and the folks who love to feed them will enjoy two cookbooks dedicated to the game. Ray Lampe's The NFL Gameday Cookbook (Chronicle Books, $24.95) offers 150...Tags: John Madden, Wine, Beer, and Spirits, Faith Hill, Carolina Panthers, Breast Cancer
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Farmington Girls Swim Team To Be Tested Against Hall
Farmington girls swim coach Scott Ferrigno was asked earlier in the season who his rival was in his team's first year in the Central Connecticut Conference. He didn't know then, but he may be about to find out. Farmington, which has one of its deepest...Tags: Weather Reports, Teaching and Learning, Philadelphia Eagles
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Jets should make gains as schedule softens
Fans who back in April saw four West Coast trips for the Jets in 2008 and wanted to chase the NFL schedule maker down Park Avenue with torches and pitchforks now might consider sending thank you notes instead. The Jets' first three weeks included games...Tags: New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Sarah Palin, Miami Dolphins, Damien Woody
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Namath impressed by Favre's quick adjustments
jim.baumbach@newsday.comDisappointed by Brett Favre's 2-2 start with the Jets? Joe Namath isn't. Broadway Joe preached patience with his former team and their new quarterback in a brief interview yesterday, saying you never can tell how long the getting-to-know-everyone process...Tags: Multi-Sport Events, Commuting, Joe Namath, New York Jets, Wine, Beer, and Spirits
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In segregated times, two Baltimore Colts became friends
Look at the picture, taken in a dime store photo booth in 1955. What do you see? A black-and-white snapshot of black and white buddies hanging out -- in black-and-white, segregated times. They seem an odd pair. One wears a wide smile, a starched shirt...Tags: Multi-Sport Events, Values, Colleges and Universities, Super Bowl, National Football League
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Dolphins' winning streak brings about new attitude
South Florida Sun-SentinelRonnie Brown was basking in the glow of his recent success and the Dolphins' second consecutive win when his coach strolled past his locker and warned him, "Don't eat the cheese." Tony Sparano was cautioning Brown, whose six touchdowns are tied for the...Tags: Super Bowl, Houston Texans, National Football League, Vonnie Holliday, Miami Dolphins
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No. 1: Redskins are for real
Riding a four-game winning streak few would have predicted, Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn on Monday gave his first news conference as a heavy favorite.
A favorite three times over, in fact. Having mastered the tough waters of NFC East opponents...Tags: Multi-Sport Events, Kerry Collins, Jon Jansen, Dan Snyder, Brett Favre
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Find out what motivates Palm Beach County's top 25 prospects
South Florida Sun-SentinelPALM BEACH COUNTY TOP 25 PROSPECTS 1. NAME: JON BOSTIC HIGH SCHOOL/CLASS: Palm Beach Central, senior HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-2/220 POSITION: Linebacker VARSITY EXPERIENCE: Three-year starter BEST MOMENT OF '07: Broke three tackles as he caught a pass, then...Tags: Health and Safety at School, Multi-Sport Events, National Basketball Association, San Francisco 49ers, National Collegiate Athletic Association
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Patriots Happy In California
The first stop on the Patriots' tour of California was a smashing success Sunday, and now they're hoping a week in the Bay Area will put them in position to be a big hit in San Diego and beyond. The Patriots watched film and rested at a Silicon Valley...Tags: Rodney Harrison, Jeff Garcia, Randy Moss, San Francisco 49ers, Tom Brady
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Hot on the Gridiron
BOSTON COLLEGE 4-1, 1-1 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat N.C. State 38-31 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10, 198. Game: 5-for-5 on PATs; 1-for-1 on FGs, 17-yarder. Season: 18-for-18 on PATs; 6-for-8 on FGs. BROWN 2-1 (Ivy League) Lost to Rhode...Tags: Dan Koppen, National Football League, Colleges and Universities
Oct 8, 2008
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