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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Picks for your fantasy football team
adam.ronis@newsday.comMany leagues start the fantasy football playoffs this week and that means ulcers and gray hair. There are a lot of tough decisions to make. Some good plays: Matt Cassel (Patriots), QB: After passing for more than 400 yards and three touchdowns in two...Tags: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baby Products, Games, and Toys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Colts
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Q&A with Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano
South Florida Sun-SentinelOn playing in Toronto Well, we're really excited obviously to be playing first of all in a game that is a big game at this particular time of the year and secondly to be playing over there in Toronto. I mean we're looking forward to it. I know how...Tags: Chad Pennington, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Joey Porter
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Boys basketball: The poll
1. ST. FRANCES •Last season: 29-10, ranked No. 1 •The Baltimore Catholic League champion Panthers have lost Metro Player of the Year Sean Mosley ( Maryland) but return standout Gs R. J. Williams, Dante Holmes and Wayne Sparrow, with Montrose...Tags: Court Administration, Chesapeake Bay, Towson University, Injuries
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What they're saying about the Ravens
Baltimoresun.com staffHere's a look at recent media coverage of the Ravens: • In his weekly playoff projections, SI.com's Dom Bonvissuto predicts the Ravens will edge the New England Patriots for the AFC's last postseason slot. Baltimore Ravens (8-4) If The Playoffs...Tags: Jim Harbaugh, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Injuries, Cam Cameron
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It's the NFL, live in 3-D
Someday soon, that long pass downfield by Joe Flacco will appear so close that you might be tempted to reach for it from your easy chair. Or the pass rusher swarming the Ravens quarterback will seem so real that you'll be ducking along with Flacco....Tags: Oakland Raiders, National Government, Consumer Electronics Industry, IMAX, Super Bowl
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Judge blocks suspension of two Vikings players
A Minnesota judge temporarily blocked the NFL's suspension of Vikings stars Kevin Williams and Pat Williams for violating the league's anti-doping policy, but the players' status for Sunday's game at Detroit remained uncertain. Hennepin County District...Tags: Philadelphia Eagles, National Football League, Pat Williams, Antonio Pierce, Plaxico Burress
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Notre Dame's Weis will return
The Associated PressCharlie Weis and his boss discussed the future of Notre Dame football for more than 2 hours, coming up with a plan to make the Fighting Irish great again. The plan includes having Weis as the coach of the Fighting Irish for at least one more year....Tags: Reggie Bush, Contracts, Matt Leinart, National Collegiate Athletic Association
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Burress A Super Performer?
Sports fans love numbers, right? Here's a weekly sampling to feed the appetite: 27 Yards receiving for Plaxico Burress in the Giants' 17-14 Super Bowl upset of the Patriots. 4 Giants WRs who gained more yards than Burress in the Super Bowl. 50.4...Tags: Super Bowl, Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, Multi-Sport Events, New York Giants
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Patriots Re-Sign Colvin
The Patriots shored up their injury-riddled linebacker corps Wednesday by signing free agent Rosevelt Colvin.
Adalius Thomas, Eric Alexander and Pierre Woods are out with injuries.
Colvin, 31, spent five seasons with the Patriots before being released...Tags: Medicine, Western Medicines, Pat Williams, Buffalo Bills, Adalius Thomas
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NFL brings 3-D action into your living room
Of The Associated PressIn broadcasting the world's first live 3-D football game to theaters in Los Angeles, New York and Boston on Thursday evening, the NFL promises an ''up close, personal, visceral'' experience that could open a new revenue stream for the league. The...Tags: James Cameron, Oakland Raiders, National Government, National Basketball Association, San Diego Chargers
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Different alignment, same battles in LVC
Of The Morning CallRed, White and Blue divisions are gone, but perhaps the black and blue play that has typified the ruggedness of Lehigh Valley Conference boys basketball over the years will be more prevalent than ever this winter. The league has undergone a realignment...Tags: George Williams, Matt Johnson, Robert Rodriguez, Chemistry
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Notre Dame AD says Charlie Weis will get 5th season as coach, though season 'fell short'
AP Sports WriterSOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) _ Charlie Weis and his boss discussed the future of Notre Dame football for more than 2 hours, coming up with a plan to make the Fighting Irish great again. The plan includes having Weis as the coach of the Fighting Irish for at...Tags: Contracts, John Jenkins
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