How They Got Their Name: New England Patriots

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The Patriots are one of the NFL teams whose nickname makes perfect sense.  Their story started in 1959, when Boston businessman Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth, and final, franchise in the newly created American Football League.  It wasn’t the first time professional football had called Boston home, but it was the first time in 11 years, after the other teams had either moved or folded.  When a naming contest was held to name the new team, Boston sportswriters chose the “Patriots,” submitted by a total of 74 people, from thousands of entries.  With Boston being the birthplace of the American Revolution, and the American colonists who rejected British rule known as patriots, the name was perfect and ended up beating out other entries such as the Beantowners, Braves, Colonials, Minutemen, and Bulls.

Throughout the 1960s, the franchise was known as the Boston Patriots, and though they had some pretty competitive teams, they struggled to find a permanent stadium to call home.  From Boston University’s field, to Harvard’s, and Fenway Park, the Patriots moved around until they settled in Foxborough, Massachusetts in 1971, a year after the AFL merged with the NFL.  And this wasn’t the only change for the team in 1971.  After relocating outside of Boston, the franchise wanted to appeal to a broader fanbase.  With Foxborough located about halfway between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, the name “New England Patriots” was adopted so the team could be the NFL’s representation of the entire New England area.

Garett