There’s an interesting story behind the name of the most successful NFL franchise of this century. Unlike many teams that took their names from existing baseball, New England had to find its own unique identity, and they turned to their fans to get there.
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The team organized a contest for fans to submit names for the newly created franchise, along with an essay contest for school kids. Suggestions ranged from Beantowners to Colonials, from Puritans to Braves. Sullivan narrowed the options down to Minuteman, Bulls, and Patriots. With “Patriots” being the most popular choice, the franchise quickly decided to name the new AFL club the “Boston Patriots.”
With the merger of AFL and NFL, the Pats were placed in the AFC East division. The move prompted the franchise to consider a name change. Although the name “Bay Area Patriots” was initially chosen, it was rejected by the NFL. Consequently, the team adopted the broader geographic name “New England,” becoming the New England Patriots.
Despite a lack of success for much of the last century, Boston fans who longed for a football franchise remained loyal to the team, much like their support for the Celtics. However, their patience and loyalty were rewarded when the Pats hired HC Bill Belichick and drafted Tom Brady.
These two moves along with some key acquisitions and trades propelled them to their first Lombardy Trophy in 2001. This started a dynasty in New England bringing in 5 more Super Bowl, 9 AFC Championships over the next 20 years. But nothing lasts forever. The team disintegrated after Brady departed from the franchise, finally parting ways with Belichick after 24 seasons.
Those fans would never had the opportunity to soak in all that success and become part of all the parades had Orthwein moved the team to, St. Louis. The move never materialized because of a local paper businessman named Robert Kraft who decided to take the reins of his hometown club.
How Much Did Robert Kraft Pay For the Patriots?
Robert Kraft who owned the Foxborough since 1988, finally decided to make his move to buy the franchise from Orthwein. Kraft had previously unsuccessfully tried to buy the club from Sullivan who instead sold the controlling share to Victor Kiam.
Kiam and Sullivan wanted to move the franchise out to Jacksonville but Kraft didn’t let them out of the lease even for a considerable fee. Kim sold the franchise to Orthwein, who didn’t want to operate the club in New England, which gave Kraft an opening.
Finally, in 1994 Bob brought in the Patriots, paying $172 million. It was the highest price for any NFL franchise at that time. The 83-year-old self-made billionaire has certainly reaped rewards on his investments. Aside from being one of the most successful franchises in the NFL, they are now worth $7 billion, with a revenue of $684 million.
Kraft himself has a net worth of $11 billion and also owns the MLS side New England Revolution. He would hope to repeat the process he started when he took over the club and take them back to the zenith after a few poor seasons.
