New England Patriots · Franchise era 1 of 7
The Boston Patriots: the New England Patriots story
Franchise era
1960—1975
The Boston Patriots
New England Patriots
The story in one sentence
The Patriots reached the 1963 AFL title game but struggled for stability while playing in a succession of Boston-area stadiums.
A wandering AFL club finds Foxborough
Gino Cappelletti, Babe Parilli and Jim Nance gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for from contender to crisis.
Timeline
How it unfolded
The foundation
The franchise context
New England evolved from an unstable AFL club into a Super Bowl team, then became the defining dynasty of the salary-cap era through Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and constant reinvention.
1963-12-28
Divisional Round: New England Patriots vs Buffalo Bills
1964-01-05
Conference Championship: New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers
After 1975
What came next
New England produced several excellent teams and reached Super Bowl XX before ownership turmoil and a near-relocation threatened the franchise.
The core