1961 Boston Patriots season
| 1961 Boston Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billy Sullivan |
| General manager | Edward McKeever |
| Head coach | Lou Saban (Fired week 5, 2-3 record) Mike Holovak (interm, 7-1-1 record) |
| Home field | Nickerson Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–4–1 |
| Division place | 2nd AFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| AFL All-Stars | LB Tom Addison DB Fred Bruney WR Gino Cappelletti DE Bob Dee RB Larry Garron DT Jim Lee Hunt G Chuck Leo |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The Boston Patriots finished the American Football League's 1961 season with a record of nine wins and four losses and one tie, and placed second in the AFL's Eastern Division.
Staff
| Boston Patriots 1961 staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
| |||||
Season summary
In the off-season, the team acquired quarterback Babe Parilli from the Oakland Raiders, himself a former starter for the NFL's Green Bay Packers. After starting the season 2–3, the team fired head coad Lou Saban and replaced him with Mike Holovak. The change was a positive one, as the team would finish on a four-game winning streak, including a season-finale shutout of the San Diego Chargers. Their record of 9–4–1 was good enough for 2nd place in the Eastern Division, and one game behind division leader Houston. This season was the first in which the team used their "Pat the Patriot" logo on their helmets.[1]
Draft picks
Game-by-game results
Home games in bold.
| Week | Opponent | Result | Patriots' score |
Opponents' score |
Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Titans | L | 20 | 21 | 0–1 | |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | W | 45 | 17 | 1–1 | |
| 3 | Buffalo Bills | W | 23 | 21 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | New York Titans | L | 30 | 37 | 2–2 | |
| 5 | San Diego Chargers | L | 27 | 38 | 2–3 | |
| 6 | Houston Oilers | T | 31 | 31 | 2–3–1 | |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills | W | 52 | 21 | 3–3–1 | |
| 8 | Dallas Texans | W | 18 | 17 | 4–3–1 | |
| 9 | Dallas Texans | W | 28 | 21 | 5–3–1 | |
| 10 | Houston Oilers | L | 15 | 27 | 5–4–1 | |
| 11 | Oakland Raiders | W | 20 | 17 | 6–4–1 | |
| 12 | Bye | 6–4–1 | ||||
| 13 | Denver Broncos | W | 28 | 24 | 7–4–1 | |
| 14 | Oakland Raiders | W | 35 | 21 | 8–4–1 | |
| 15 | San Diego Chargers | W | 41 | 0 | 9–4–1 |
Standings
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Houston Oilers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 4–1–1 | 513 | 242 | W9 | |
| Boston Patriots | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 2–3–1 | 413 | 313 | W4 | |
| New York Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 301 | 390 | L2 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 294 | 342 | L1 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
Roster
All of the following players appeared in at least one game for the 1961 Boston Patriots. Players new to the team in 1961 are in bold
Charlie LongNotes and references
General references
- "1961 Boston Patriots". Football @ JT-SW.com. John Troan. 2002. Retrieved April 11, 2007.. For game-by-game results
- "1961 Boston Patriots Roster". Football @ JT-SW.com. John Troan. 2002. Archived from the original on April 25, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help). For team roster - "New England Patriots (1960–present)". Sports E-cyclopedia. Tank Productions. 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help). For season summary
Footnoted references
- ^ "AFC east helmets". The Helmet Project. 2007. Archived from the original on April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)