New England Patriots Team History

After bouncing around between four different Boston-area stadiums in their first 11 seasons, in 1971 the Patriots moved into a new stadium in suburban Foxborough (also known as Foxboro), on land granted by the Bay State Raceway.

Prior to 2002, the Patriots played in Foxboro Stadium dating back to 1971, the team’s second year in the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger. During the team’s days in the American Football League, the Boston Patriots were hosted by a number of fields in or around Boston they played at Braves Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium.

When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the AFC East division, where they still play today. The following year, the team changed their name to the New England Patriots to reflect the location change, as well as its following throughout the region as its only NFL team though both New York City teams have substantial followings in parts of Connecticut as well.

A Patriots fan since their American Football League days, Kraft has been a season ticket holder since 1971, when the team moved to the then-Schaefer Stadium. In 1985, Kraft bought a 10-year option on Foxboro Raceway, a horse track adjacent to the stadium. The option would allow Kraft to prevent the financially struggling Patriots’ owners from holding non-Patriot events at Sullivan Stadium while races were being held. In 1988, Kraft outbid several competitors to buy the stadium out of bankruptcy court from Billy Sullivan for $22 million. The stadium was considered to be outdated and nearly worthless, but the purchase included the stadium’s lease to the Patriots, which ran through 2001.

In 1994, new Patriots owner James Orthwein offered Kraft $75 million to buy out the remainder of the team’s lease at the Foxboro Stadium, which, if Kraft agreed, would free Orthwein to move the Patriots to St. Louis. However, Kraft rejected the offer and made a counter-bid a then NFL-record $172 million for the outright purchase of the Patriots, an offer Orthwein accepted. No other sports team had ever sold for a price this high in any league at that time. The Patriots sold out their season for the first time, and have sold out each season since.

Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2001 season. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20–17. It was New England’s first Super Bowl victory.

The stadium would open in the spring of 2002 with a “soft opening”, including games of the New England Revolution and concerts. In the months leading up to the grand opening of the stadium in September 2002, CMGi Corporation fell upon difficult financial times and sold the naming rights to the Gillette Company prior to the grand opening. The stadium was renamed Gillette Stadium, and is sometimes referred to by fans as “The Razor.”

Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2003 season. The Patriots defeated the Panthers by the score of 32-29, winning their second Super Bowl in three years. The game was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on February 1, 2004. At the time, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 144.4 million viewers.

Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2004 season. The Patriots defeated the Eagles by the score of 24–21. The game was played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, the first time the Super Bowl was played in that city.

Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks, 28–24, to earn their fourth Super Bowl title. The game was played on February 1, 2015, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It was the second time the stadium has hosted a Super Bowl, and the third one held in the Phoenix metropolitan area.