1960 - 1969
Jan 30, 1969
Patriots appoint Clive Rush as vice president and head coach.
Dec 17, 1967
Jim Nance finishes the season with 1,216 yards rushing and becomes the first player in AFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Aug 13, 1967
Patriots played the Baltimore Colts of the NFL in a preseason game. It was the first time the Patriots had played an NFL team. The Patriots lost the game 33-3.
Dec 17, 1966
Jim Nance rushes for 78 yards against the New York Jets in the season finale giving him 1,458 yards rushing for the season, a Patriots single-season team record until 1995. Nance was later honored with the league's Most Valuable Player award.
Dec 20, 1964
Gino Cappelletti finished the season with 155 total points, which still ranks third in NFL history.
Jan 5, 1964
The Patriots lose the AFL title game, 51-10, to the Chargers at San Diego.
Nov 10, 1963
Gino Cappelletti became the first player in AFL history to score more than 1,000 points in his career. He reached the milestone on a 19-yard touchdown reception from Tom Sherman.
Nov 10, 1963
Gino Cappelletti became the first player in AFL history to score more than 1,000 points in his career. He reached the milestone on a 19-yard touchdown reception from Tom Sherman.
Oct 11, 1963
Patriots play their first game in Fenway Park and beat Oakland 20-14.
Dec 12, 1962
The Oakland Raiders claim one of the AFL's most shocking upsets with a 20-0 victory over the Patriots in the season finale. It was the Raiders' only victory of the season and knocked the Patriots out of championship contention.
Nov 18, 1962
QB Babe Parilli suffers a broken collar bone in a game at Houston. The Patriots lost the game and their first-place standing in the division.
Sep 16, 1962
Opened the season at Harvard Stadium and beat the Houston Oilers 34-21. The Patriots played the remainder of their games at Boston University Field.
Dec 17, 1961
The Patriots ended the season with a 41-0 shutout over San Diego to finish with a 9-4-1 record, second in the AFL Eastern Division. The 41-point margin of victory remains the largest shutout victory in Patriots history.
Oct 20, 1961
The Patriots' game with the Buffalo Bills at Boston University is postponed due to the threat of a hurricane. The game was played two days later (10/22) and the Patriots scored a 52-21 victory.
Oct 10, 1961
Mike Holovak replaces Lou Saban as head coach.
Nov 22, 1960
Northwestern RB Ron Burton is selected as first draft choice and Syracuse RB Gerhardt Schwedes is made territorial choice. Mike Holovak is named director of player personnel. He was the first executive hired.
Sep 16, 1960
DB Chuck Shonta recovered a fumble on the final play of the game and ran for a touchdown to give the Patriots their first victory with a 28-24 advantage over the N.Y. Titans at the Polo Grounds in New York.
Sep 9, 1960
In their first regular season game, the Patriots open with a 13-10 loss to Denver at B.U. Field before a crowd of 21,597.
Aug 14, 1960
Patriots play their first home game ever at Harvard Stadium, a 24-14 loss to the Dallas Texans before 11,000 fans.
Jul 30, 1960
In the AFL's first ever preseason game, the Patriots defeat Buffalo 28-7 at War Memorial Stadium. Patriots DE Bob Dee recovered a fumble for the league's first touchdown.
Jul 4, 1960
Team opens first training camp at the University of Massachusetts, 350 players attended.
Apr 19, 1960
Uniformed Patriot centering football (creative work of Boston/Worcester cartoonist Phil Bissell) is adopted as team logo.
Apr 2, 1960
Patriots become first pro team in history to issue public stock.
Apr 1, 1960
Boston University Field is named as the Patriots' first home.
Feb 20, 1960
As the result of a public contest, the team nickname of Patriots is chosen. The Patriots also announce that the team colors will be red, white and blue.
Feb 8, 1960
Lou Saban is appointed first head coach.
Dec 20, 1959
Clemson QB Harvey White becomes the first player to sign a Boston Patriots contract.
