Where Are the New England Patriots From?

The New England Patriots is a American football team that competes in the National Football League (NFL). They register in the East Division as member of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC). From 2002, The Patriots have been playing in the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts (near Boston) which also serves as their headquarters. So far, the Patriots have had fourteen coaches. The first coach was Lou Saban while the longest-serving coach was Bill Belichick.

Where Is New England?

New England is a region in the northeastern United States comprised of six states including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New England covers 71,991.8 square miles and is home to around 14 million people. The largest city in New England is Boston in Massachusetts.

History of the New England Patriots

The formation of the team started when a prominent business executive in Boston and renowned printer were awarded the 8th franchise to develop American Football League. The duo made up of William Billy Sullivan and Joseph Sullivan were awarded the franchise on November 16, 1959, and consequently asked for suggestion on an ideal name for the team. As a result, the name “Boston Patriots” was born on February 20, 1960. The name “patriots” was derived from the 13 colonies as colonized by the British but rebelled during the American Revolution. The first logo of “Pat Patrick” was designed by artist Phil Bissell. During the initial stages, the team could play in Nickerson Field, Alumni Stadium, and Harvard stadium and Fenway Park.

Ownership of the New England Patriots

From the time the team was created by the Sullivan’s, it has changed ownership several times. In 1988, the team was bought by Victor Kiam. He managed the team for a few years before selling it to James Orthwein in 1992. Orthwein’s tenure was controversial due to the introduction of a new uniform and recruitment of a new coach. Two years later in 1994, he sold the team for $175 million to Robert Kraft who is the current owner of the Patriots. In July 2015, The New England Patriots were ranked seventh globally by the Forbes magazine in terms of franchise value.

Early Patriot Stars

The team was composed of various stars who did a great job making the team one of the most competitive. The athletes included Jim Lee Hunt nicknamed Earthquake and Houston Antwine who were defensive tackles, Vito “Babe” Parilli who was a quarterback, and Gino Cappelletti who was a flanker-placekicker. Larry Eisenhauer, Jim Nance, and Nick Buoniconti joined the team later making it even more famous. A hall of fame was established to select and honor players and coaches who have outstanding performance

Name Change

The National Football League (NFL) was joined to the American Football League (AFL). Consequently the Patriots were grouped in the AFC East division. In 1971, the team moved to Foxborough, Massachusetts in the suburb of Boston where they played for the following 30 years. It was after the migration that the team name was changed to New England Patriots. The change of name was in a bid to reflect the new location. The name was also seen to appeal and identify with a wider fan base. The team had a bigger following in that region too.

Performance of the Team

The Patriots have continued improving performance hence rated highly in NFL history. The team has made it to the Super Bowl a record ten times, the highest number any team has ever made. They have won 15 AFC East titles in seventeen seasons from 2001 with no single loss. Notable records have been set by the players with the most outstanding period being 2003 to 2012 and undefeated 16 game season in 2007. The Patriots also won 9 straight division titles between 2009 and 2017.