New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are an NFLNFLThe NFL (National Football League) is a U.S. professional American football league of 32 clubs. Founded in 1920 as the APFA and renamed in 1922, it is organized into the AFC and NFC, with the season culminating in the Super Bowl.Open the full entry professional American football team in the AFC East, based at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Founded in 1959, they began AFL play as the Boston Patriots in 1960 and adopted their current name in 1971. Robert Kraft has owned the team since 1994. The Bill Belichick–Tom BradyTom BradyTom Brady is an American retired football quarterback, sports broadcaster and investor. He played for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning seven Super Bowls across twenty-three NFL seasons. His subsequent work includes sports broadcasting, team ownership and sports-related business ventures.Open the full entry era produced six Super Bowl titles, and Mike Vrabel became head coach in 2025.
Contents15 sections
Key facts
1959–1960Formation of the Boston Patriots
A group led by Billy Sullivan obtained the Boston AFL franchise. After reviewing league meeting records in 2019, the team’s Hall of Fame identified November 22, 1959, as the official founding date. The Boston Patriots played the AFL’s first regular-season game on September 9, 1960, losing 13–10 to Denver.[1][2]
1961–1967Early contention
Mike Holovak replaced Lou Saban in 1961. Boston won the AFL East in the 1963 season before losing the title game to San Diego 51–10. Gino Cappelletti and Jim Nance, who exceeded 1,000 rushing yards in both 1966 and 1967, were prominent early players.[2]
1971A new name and a move to Foxborough
The team’s early venues included Boston University Field, Harvard Stadium and Fenway Park. In 1971, it adopted the New England Patriots name and moved into a new stadium in Foxborough, south of Boston.[2]
1976–1985Playoff progress and a first Super Bowl
New England went 11–3 in 1976 and won the AFC East in 1978. Raymond Berry became coach in 1984. His 1985 team won three road playoff games as a Wild Card entrant to reach the franchise’s first Super Bowl, losing Super Bowl XX to Chicago.[2]
1988–1996Ownership changes and the Kraft era
Ownership passed from Sullivan to Victor Kiam in 1988, James Orthwein in 1992 and Robert Kraft in 1994. Under Bill Parcells, the Patriots won the AFC title in the 1996 season and reached their second Super Bowl.[2]
2000–2004Belichick, Brady and three championships
Bill Belichick became head coach in January 2000. Following Tom Brady’s emergence, New England won its first Super Bowl after the 2001 season, beating St. Louis 20–17 on Adam Vinatieri’s final-play field goal. Titles after the 2003 and 2004 seasons made it three Super Bowl wins in four seasons.[3]
2007A perfect regular season and videotaping penalties
2014–2018Three more Super Bowl titles
The Patriots beat Seattle after the 2014 season, rallied from 28–3 down against Atlanta after 2016, and beat the Los Angeles RamsLos Angeles RamsThe Los Angeles Rams are an NFL professional American football team in the NFC West. They joined the NFL in Cleveland in 1937, later played in Los Angeles and St. Louis, and returned to the Los Angeles area in 2016. Their current home is SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Owned by Stan Kroenke and coached by Sean McVay, the Rams won the 1945 and 1951 NFL titles and Super Bowls XXXIV and LVI.Open the full entry 13–3 after 2018, bringing their Super Bowl total to six. The 34–28 win over Atlanta was the first Super Bowl decided in overtime.[5]
2015–2016The Deflategate dispute
Brady denied wrongdoing in Deflategate but ultimately accepted a four-game suspension; the team was fined and lost draft picks.[6]
March 2020Brady leaves
Brady became a free agent in March 2020, ending a 20-year Patriots career. Team leaders issued farewell statements recalling his nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships with New England.[7]
2024–2025Belichick departs and coaches change
The Patriots and Belichick ended their 24-year partnership in January 2024, and Jerod Mayo took over. After a 4–13 season, Mayo was dismissed in January 2025. Mike Vrabel was subsequently hired and introduced at Gillette Stadium on January 13.[5]
2025–2026A Super Bowl return in Vrabel’s first year
Current home city
The Patriots play at Gillette Stadium, One Patriot Place, Foxborough, Massachusetts. New England refers to the wider region; the stadium itself is in Foxborough.[9]
Related organizations, websites and public accounts
New England Patriots: Official website: https://www.patriots.com/ (opens in a new window) .[10]
New England Patriots: X: https://www.twitter.com/patriots (opens in a new window) .[10]
New England Patriots: YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/patriots (opens in a new window) .[10]
New England Patriots: LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-england-patriots (opens in a new window) .[11]
Sources
- Patriots Official Born-On Date: Nov. 22, 1959 (opens in a new window)
- New England Patriots — Team History (opens in a new window)
- History of the New England Patriots: 2000–2009 (opens in a new window)
- Timeline of Events Surrounding Patriots’ Videotaping Scandal (opens in a new window)
- History of the New England Patriots: 2010–Current (opens in a new window)
- Tom Brady Suspension Case Timeline (opens in a new window)
- Statements from Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels on QB Tom Brady (opens in a new window)
- Mike Vrabel — Head Coach (opens in a new window)
- Gillette Stadium (opens in a new window)
- Patriots Home | New England Patriots - Patriots.com (opens in a new window)
- New England Patriots — LinkedIn About (opens in a new window)