New England Patriots: The Origin

After a drought of 11 years and a failed attempt to acquire a team in NFL, Football returned to the Northeast as part of AFL on November 16, 1959: As Boston businessman Billy Sullivan Jr. with strong sports promotional background secured the eighth and final position in the league. Before the acquisition, Sullivan was working in the Boston Braves PR, where he would get acquainted with Grinold, the team doctor. With a marketing background, Sullivan knew the importance of catchy team name, and for the same he trusted his acquaintance's son Jack Grinold. The PR department then organized a contest for fans to submit names for Boston's new team and the submission ranged from Colonials, Puritans, Braves, Bulls, and, yes, you guessed it right: Patriots! The club owners considered Bay State Patriots - based upon Massachusetts' official nickname. However, that idea was dumped at the 11th hour due to fears that rival fans might label the team the "B.S. Patriots." As a result, the tag of New England Patriots was dawned with a fitting red, white and blue for the better, good luck finding anyone who will disagree.