When/Why did you become a Patriots fan

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This may have been done before, but it's a fresh idea to me and, really, that's all that matters.


I first took an interest in them in 1993 and became a fan in '94.
Why? I was living in suburban Boston then, who else would I like?
 
Hannah

When I was in high school in the early 70s, the cheerleaders included the line 'We could beat the Patriots' in one of their chants. While I thought this a mild exaggeration, I recall being distinctly unimpressed with the franchise at that time.

Grogan, Hannah, Grey, Sam Cunningham and Russ Francis played a decent game of football. I've been to various degrees pleased with the Patriots of that era, and followed them since.
 
Early 80's for me.Then watching 'em strip the ball on their way to a serious butt whippin' in SB XX. The following year they couldn't make it past Elway in the playoffs!:banghead: Some horrible years after that!
 
We used to have a pretty good thread on this subject. Unfortunately, I think it got deleted during the dark days.

I was born during the Pats first season. Until the Pats came along, my father was a Packers fan, even though most New Englanders followed the Giants. It was a no-brainer for him to switch his allegiance to the Pats.

Football was the only sport my father cared about. My older brother played HS when I was very young and I was always with my father at his games. We would sit by the radio on Sundays and listen to the Pats. It was inevitable that I had to be a football fan as well as a Pats fan.

I remember crying when he would take my two older brothers to some games and leaving me at home. He felt I was too young. He finally took me to my first game in '67 (I was 6) against Denver at Fenway. I still have very clear memories of the experience. I got to see Namath at Harvard Stadium in '70. As I got older, the visits to Schaeffer/Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium got more frequent. We generally went to 2-3 games a year.

I moved to a town near Foxboro in late '90. Prior to the '92 season, my wife surprised me with a pair of season tickets. I've kept them ever since.

My father would get very serious about Pats games. I would usually talk to him after every game. If they won, he was animated, if they lost, he was angry. With the season tickets, I was able to return the favor to him and take him to a game every year, even though it became very difficult for him (severe athritis). Sadly, he died in the summer of '01. The end of SB36 was very emotional for me because I kept thinking about him. My siblings and I started calling each other and thinking about how happy he would have been.

So, I guess my father instilled my love for the Pats in me. Stronger than anyone else in my family. But being the youngest boy in the family (I'm 6th of 7, I have 4 sisters and 2 brothers), it was my way of connecting with him. And I think that connection made my fandom even stronger.
 
JamesLavin said:
Yeah, KenJr, at what moment did you realize you really are a closet Patriots fan?

--James


ROFL I'm still waiting to find that out myself.
 
bideau, that is a great story. I only wish your Dad could have seen his dream realized....I'm sure he is watching and loving every minute of this.

I became a fan sometime around there first SuperBowl appearance during the 85 season. My Dad has never been a big sports fan, but my Mom sure is. She lives and dies with the Bruins and Red Sox, but was only a casual Football fan.

During the 85 season, I was a paper boy for the patriot ledger and they used to do these promotions for the kids where if you get a certain number of new customers you could go to a Patriots game. My first game was vs the Raiders on 9/29/85. After that i was hooked. The problem was, there weren't many of my friends that were interested in going to games. I got my license during the '87 season and me and this 1 friend of mine would go to at least 2 or 3 games a year. We'd just drive down and buy tickets at the window or from a scalper.

During 1990 (the 1-15 season) I made a down payment on 3 season tickets. Since I was only 18 at the time, I didn't have alot of cash so I wasn't able to actually buy them for the 1991 season. My first official season as a season ticket holder was 1992 and I have only missed 2 games since then. The first was a Miami game during the 96 season where I was in the hospital with a collapsed lung. The second was Bledsoe's first game back as a Bill where me, my wife, and son had all come down with food poisoning the night before.
 
I became a Patriots fan on February 3, 2002 after Adam V kicked the game winning field goal. ROFL

Well, someone had to say it!!!!!!
 
Years ago we got tickets to the Pats' games and went frequently. My mom, who was more of a baseball fan, surprised my dad with the tickets! :) We saw some lousy teams and some really good teams (the '76 team) and then didn't go to the games as much as life changed. We always kept up with the team, though, so definitely my family and I aren't bandwaggoners. My dad had been a Giants fan as many New Englanders had been and also liked the Packers in the '60s. He became a hardcore Pats fan in the '70s after getting those tickets and we found ourselves enjoying a team that despite the circus follies surrounding it always seemed to give us entertainment. Maybe because of the follies, come to think of it! ;) I always thought of the Pats as the Red Sox of football: sometimes very good and teasing you but never able to win the big one (it was tough watching the Packers' SB game because at least there had been a chance in that one, unlike SB XX which was a sorry blow-out). When Adam kicked that field goal in SB XXXVI after Tom drove the team down the field in less than 2 minutes with no timeouts, this franchise was forever changed. I've never quite felt such sports exultation as in that moment. They proved they could finally do it, and now I feel like they can do anything! :D
 
The Origin of Annihilus (as a Pats fan)

People often wonder (and ask) just why Annihilus is a New England Patriots fan. Most of the time he just says "His Mom was born in Connecticut".

Which is true...but not the reason why he is a Pats fan. It's just a much easier (and shorter) explanation.

So why does a guy who was born in Seattle, raised in Montana and since then lived in SD, KY and MN follow the Pats? This will be a long and rambling answer, and you'll only hear it once. Annihilus hopes it doesn't bore you too much.

First off, Annihilus was the product of a mixed marriage:

Dad is a Yankees fan and Mom is a Red Sox Fan.
Dad is a Celtics fan, Mom is a Knicks fan.

This is the kind of thing that happens when you live hundreds of miles from the nearest outpost of civilization. Living in the country definately has it's advantages - sports loyalty not being one of them.

Are you beginning to see why Annihilus was doomed from the beginning?

Anyhow, Annihilus's parents weren't into football and though he had friends that were, they never talked about it. Basically, when Annihilus was a kid, he saw football as 'something that was on TV that sucked because it wasn't cartoons'.

The first (and only) football game that Annihilus saw prior to the fall of 1983 was Superbowl XV (Eagles V Raiders). That's a pretty sad state of affairs, and a good reason to be involved in your child's life.

Anyhow, in the spring of 1983 Dad got the bright idea of moving back to his hometown of Ovando MT and opening up a 'general store' to cater to the scattered population of the area (50 in town, probably a few hundred in the surrounding area).


Here it is: the store Dad bought was on the right. Model T's not included.

tradepostnowbig.jpg


Whether or not this was a good idea will not be discussed here.

At any rate, what this meant for little 15 year old Annihilus is that he would be moving from a school with a graduating class of 395 to a graduating class of 15). Yes, f-i-f-t-e-e-n. Annihilus was despondent about this and a might pissed, as kids are wont to be when forced to move away from their friends they've grown up with all their lives.

But after all the biting, kicking and bitching, everything was packed up and moved and Annihilus was indoctrinated into the country life. His initial days of the summer of 1983 consisted of:

1. Playing Galaga at Trixi's Antler Saloon
2. Riding a dirt bike.

The only kid in town even approximately Annihilus's age was a fellow two years older than Annihilus who had been in an automobile accident two years prior and lost his right arm after grabbing an electrical wire draped across a fence. His name was Jody and he had used to be a real hell raiser before the accident, but had since slowed down in the partying department.

He had been in a burn center for the better part of a year. After much rehabilitation and learning how to do everything all over again with his left hand, he had come back home, did home studies and was set to graduate from high school six months ahead of schedule. He was a unique guy who also 'didn't belong' where he lived.....his parents had done the same 'let's move out to the country' thing as Annihilus.

They were from Boston.

Jody was passionate about his Sox and Pats, and after a few months of listening to his excitement, Annihilus was forever changed. He became a fan of football, and an even bigger fan of the Pats.

Annihilus only lived in Ovando for a year, after which time his parents moved back to his hometown and he was able to finish high-school with his friends from his childhood (one of whom was a Dolphin's fan).

If you could've seen his face: when Annihilus left he was a mere kid without a team, when he returned - he was a full fledged Patriots fan. He finally had someone to spar with, and it was pretty fun. Annihilus probably shouldn't have given too much crap to his friend when the Dolphins lost SB XIX, because payback was a bitch when XX rolled around.

Annihilus hasn't seen Jody for about 15 years and often wonders how he is doing and if he lived through that first Superbowl.

If he only knew what he created. Here's to you buddy! :toast:
 
Sometime in the early-80's--I can't pinpoint the exact date. I was born in Boston and was living in Cambridge at the time. The team was awful, but they were the local team, and I was already hooked on the Sox, Celts, and Broons. When we moved to Virginia in 1985, Boston/NE sports was the way we (specifically my brother and I) dealt with our homesickness. I still miss Boston and hope to move back after I complete my law degree, but without a doubt, our love for the Sox, Pats, Bruins, and Celtics intensified when we left Beantown.
 
I started in the early eighties when my father got some tickets from work and we went to a game. The weather was miserable, the team was pretty bad. Our butts were frozen to those damn bleachers. But at least it wasn't a long drive. I grew up in Foxboro.

There wasn't any scoring, but football was much more interesting in person, even trying to view it through near blizzard conditions.

There weren't too many people in the stadium by the time the Patriots got close enough to kick a field goal.

After the field goal, Don Shula was livid.

Patriots win 3-0.

I am sure you all know which game this was. Made me a fan.
 
I was Born in to it.

Growing up my Daddy always pulled for the Pats because he's from Maine and my mom the Dolphins because I don't know and they've been my second team becuase I cheered for a pop-warner team named the Dolphins LOL.. Silly ME.. Anyhoo of course, Daddy was alot more into it them my Mom. I was always a Tom boy growing up. But must admit, never really got into football that much at first. I though of the Patriots as MY red white and blue team when I was little... I knew that they lost most of the time, but as a kid, that never really got me down, it was just a game. Then as I got older and realized all dady did during football season was watch football, I HATED it.. Or at least I thought I did lol... I would get mad and go back in my room, slam the door and try to find something else to watch... But secretly, I'd flip to the game. This was in my teenage years. Then I moved out when I was 19 and that's where it REALLY began for me, I knew I already loved the Pats, that's always been a fact, so that is the answer to the original post, I've always rooted for the Pats, but my obsession began when I moved out a lived by myself lol. I found myself with nothing to do sometimes so I would freakin watch football. During offseason, I'd watch old games, as I do now. Then I realized how Daddy could sit there and watch football so much. So that was in 99 when I moved out and then I moved back in in 2001 and haven't skipped a beat since then lol... that's a bit more than what ya asked for but to the OT, like I said, since day one, I've rooted for the Pats
 
My uncles watched NFL on Sundays and told me about a guy with my name, Joe Fortunato, who was a linebacker and captained for the Chicago Bears. As a paperboy I tried to read about him but linebackers don't have a lot of stats. Talk was Boston would get a team in the new league (AFL) made up of NFL has-beens. I wondered if we would get Joe Fortunato.
I would always read the remarkable stats for Babe Parilli and Gino Cappaletti. My buddys Dad worked for Harvard and gave us free tix for a game at Harvard Stadium on a cold,rainy,muddy day. I fell in love with going to games right there.
I played football once a weekend with my friends until I was 44 yrs old. Played in a Foxboro Flag league a few years where we actually played games at Sullivan Stadium (teams hopped the fence, I was league photographer also) several times when the Pats were on the road. I wasn't that good and I got clobbered most weekends but I loved it. My joints will be bothering me for quite awhile.
I had Pats season tix from 78-91 off and on. Many years I'd be booked half the game dates (wedding photog) so I wouldn't re-up. I bought back in spring of 93 the day Parcells signed.
The Pats have had a lot of great guys playing for them, Nance, Burton, Grogan, Pete Brock. A lot of funny guys too like Steve Kiner,Irving Fryer, and Harpo Gladieux. I find them so entertaining. Like you guys are.

Can't wait for TC.
 
I've mentioned this before, but I guess I could throw it in this thread too. :shrug:

January 1986. I loathed the friggin Bears. McMahon was an arrogant jerk. The Super Bowl shuffle was played every friggin 15 minutes on every friggin radio station. I was so friggin sick of the Bears. So naturally I rooted for the Pats. :rolleyes: And man did I get crap from all my friends after the SB. :(

Up till that time I really didn't have an NFL team. I was addicted to baseball, but really hadn't gotten into FB yet. Dad was/is a Vikes fan, but I was never got into them much. In the 70s, my first favorite FB player was Roger Staubach, but I never liked the Boys as a team. So following SB XX I kind of stuck with the Pats. Unfortunately, as Anni can attest to, it was very difficult to follow the Pats, out this way, before the internet and NFL Sunday Ticket. But I had the FB bug by that time, and since I couldn't catch any Pats games, or find any of their merchandise, I simply followed them in the boxscores and what little ESPN had on them and started following the Niners.

In 97 I finally got internet which made it sooooo much easier to follow the Pats, since I could check out their website, and I could read the Globe and Herald. So starting in 97 I started following them religiously.

And yes, I still do follow the Niners, which I can pretty much do without it interferring with my loyalty to the Pats, seeing as how the teams only play each other every 4 yrs now. But when they do play each other, like last year, I root for the Pats to win, but for the Niners to at least look good losing. :p
 
I pretty much "found" football on my own as my father flew the coop when I was 5-6 in 1962/63. I can remember being over my grandfather's house in the fall and watching a Rams game and hearing the announcers describe the "Fearsome Foursome". I was hooked.

The LOS ANGELES RAMS became my first team and the one I rooted for a number of years. In 1967, I started to read about the Patriots in the local papers and soon realized that there was a local pro team in my area. The more I read, the more they became my team. I always wanted to go to a game, but with my mother working 2 jobs and my uncles living far away, that want became unfullfilled.

When the Patriots moved to Foxboro, my mother and her former boss, formed a new company and he purchased 2 seats at the new stadium. About mid-season, I finally went to my first game. I thought it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was so excited about the game, my mother went and bought 2 season tickets the very next year. (I still have the cancelled check, which I used to establish our longeviety as ticket holders)

I went to most of the games in 1972 and 1973 by going with Mom's business partner or friends of the family who drove. In 1974, I was able to drive myself and go to every game.

In 1974, we moved from S110 to S112 and added 2 more seats. In 1976, we added another 4 seats to make our total 8. After 5 years, we cut back to 4 seats and stayed in S112 for a number of years.

Tired of dealing with "gamers" and away team fans in S112, we pleased with the Patriots to move our seats to S205, close to the partner's 4 tickets.

In 1990, the partnership dissolved and we took over his tickets, since they were officially the company's tickets. That same year, we were able to combine all 6 tickets to get them together and a year later, we reduced the count to our current total of 4.

The rest I spoke about earlier in another thread so I won't bore you with any of those details.

During SB36, I was comfortable with both boths teams playing since I had my "home" team and "first" team on the field of play. However, I had my "first" team win the year before and was happy that a team I rooted for finally win. Now it was time for my "home" team's first win.

That's my story.........it continues as we speak.......
 
I've always been a "sorta" fan because like BradyGirl stated: I always thought of the Pats as the Red Sox of football (so why bother with an emotional investment, especially with so many other sports choices in this area)

Never desired season tickets and only attended one game (sometime in the 80's, pre-season, no less) at the old stadium. Only followed the team when they were "in season" to have something to do.

vaguely remember when televised home games were reliant on sell-outs (and it was a 50/50 chance consistantly of not being shown)

watched a succession of owners and coaches come and go :zzz: until Kraft bought the team (and even then I figured here's "Billy Sullivan II")

but now I'm paying attention, watching Kraft bring in Parcells: great move that just didn't work out; watching Kraft bring in Carroll: ok move that was impossible to work out and then: dawn breaks over Marblehead, Kraft brings in Belichick, the star-system is thrown to the winds and presto.......

coaches......coach
players.......play
owners.......own

fans............win

so I guess you can say my true birth as a Patriots fan began with BB as HC. He is indeed a god among men and I am proud to confess my unrequited love for him.

maybe this should be a poll.
 
As a youngster growing up in New England I was a fan of the local teams. I can remember playing Back-yard football and pretending to be Plunkett or Vataha. Over time I became more of a football fan than anything else.

I'm not sure when I became a fanantic but I do remember when I realized it. In 76 I was 12. When Fugging Ben Dreith threw that flag I punched the floor, and nearly broke my hand. It surprised me that I cared so much.

In 85 my brother purchased season tickets (after a year as a Boston Breakers season ticket holder). I was always the "definite yes" if he had an extra ticket. I went to a lot of meaningless late December games with 20,000 other hearty souls and every time a Lombardi is raised I think of those diehards. That's who I light the victory cigar for.
 
The answer to why is obvious, I'm from New England. But, I remember when I was five getting a jets uniform with the #12 on the jersey and the name Namath on the back for Christmas. It had the helmet and all the pads. My Dad was still new to the area and didn't know any better. He's from Louisville.

My earliest memory of following the Patriots was when they drafted Jim Plunkett.

As for my 3 year old son. He became a Patriots fan a month before he was born.

On the day of SB 36 we allready had a name for our son. We were going to name him for ancester that brought my mothers family from Sweden to America. My wife was 8 mos. along. After the moment the Pats became champs my wife stood up and announced to the party we were attending that we would name our son Adam when was born. Adam will know no other way.
 
Yeah, when that idiot Dreith threw that flag I couldn't believe it. I had this outraged feeling of "We wuz robbed!" That's why when Oakland fans boohoo over the Tuck Rule, I say karmic payback, baby. :D
 
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