(Image source: Flickr | Image author: Jack Kurzenknabe)

Did you know that the New England Patriots was established in 1959 and have won 6 Super Bowls, out of the 9 that they have competed in?

Patriots won the Super Bowl this year, 2019, as they played the Los Angeles Rams. They beat them 13 to 3. All Boston and Patriot fans need to know these 10 facts about the NFL team and American Football.

Interestingly, American Football is played all around the world. So no matter what team you support or where you live, you can always enjoy American Football.

American Football is locally known as Gridiron, in Australia and has been played across six Australian states and territories since World War II, but only has been in the regular league since 1983. (Source: https://www.aboutmen.com.au/)

10 Facts About the Patriots

  1. The New England Patriots began as the ‘Boston Patroits’ and they were founded as part of the American Football League on November 16, 1959. They changed their name in 1971 and became known as the New England Patriots.
  1. The Patriots weren’t the first pro football team to represent Boston. The Boston Bulldogs and The Boston Redskins both were pro football teams around the 1930s. The Boston Redskins moved to Washington D.C. and became The Braves.
  1. The Patriots have played in 9 Super Bowls and have won 6. They won in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and most recently in 2019.
  1. Their most impressive win to date, is when they got a 59-0 victory over the Tennessee Titans in October 2009.
  1. Nowadays, Patriot players wear the ‘Flying Elvis’ logo on their helmets, but this wasn’t always the case. In 1960, players wore helmets with a simple design that consisted of a tri-corner hat which sat on top of each player’s number.
  1. From 1960 to 1971, the team moved venues 4 times. They were at Nickerson Field, Fenway Park, Harvard Stadium, and Boston College’s Alumni Stadium.
  1. In 1971, they were going to be named The Bay State Patriots. But the name had to be rejected because the abbreviation would be ‘The B.S. Patriots’.
  1. The Patriots might not have always resided in Boston. They almost got shipped to St Louis in 1992 and then Connecticut in 1998. Thankfully both times, the owner, Robert Kraft, was at hand to make sure the Patriots stayed in Boston. In 1998, he managed to prevent the move by securing  $72 million to build the Gillette Stadium.
  1. The Patriots have the longest winning streak in pro football history. During 2003-2004, the team claimed 21 straight regular and postseason wins – which is an NFL record!
  1. Bill Belichick, head coach of the Patriots, has been helping the team win many matches including Super Bowls.

He is an avid fisherman who once owned a 24 foot power boat called V Rings. The name was in reference to the two Super Bowls he’d won as a defensive coordinator with the Giants and the 3 he won with the Patriots.

In 2015, he bought a new vessel after the Patriots beat Seattle in the Super Bowl. And Bill named his boat VI Rings.

Preseason starts in August, so get your tickets for the upcoming matches.