1961 Boston Patriots season

1961 Boston Patriots season
1961 Boston Patriots season
Owner	Billy Sullivan
General manager	Edward McKeever
Head coach	Lou Saban (fired: 2–3); Mike Holovak (interim: 7–1–1)
Home field	Boston University 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
	← 1960; Patriots seasons; 1962 →;

The 1961 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's second season in the American Football League They finished with nine wins, four losses, and one tie, in second place in the AFL's Eastern Division.

Staff

**1961 Boston Patriots staff**
	Front office President – Billy Sullivan General Manager – Edward McKeever Head coaches Head Coach – Lou Saban (fired, 2–3) Mike Holovak (interim, 7–1–1) Offensive coaches Offensive backfield – Mike Holovak Offensive line – Red Miller			Defensive coaches Defensive line – Jerry Smith Defensive backfield – Joe Collier

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 a 2–3 start and two consecutive losses, the team fired head coach Lou Saban on the night of Tuesday, October 10, and replaced him with offensive backfield coach Mike Holovak, formerly the head coach at Boston College.^[1] The change was a positive one, as the team was 7–1–1 under Holovak and finished on a four-game winning streak, capped with a road shutout of the Western Division champion San Diego Chargers in the season finale,^[2] the team which scored 38 points on them in Boston in Saban's last game.

The Patriots' 9–4–1 record put them in second place in the Eastern Division, one game behind Houston; the Oilers went on to win the league championship with a 10–3 win over the Chargers. This was the first season in which Boston used their "Pat the Patriot" logo on their helmets.^[3]

Draft picks

Round	Player	Position	College
1	Tommy MasonTommy Mason	Half back	Tulane
2	Rip HawkinsRip Hawkins	Center	North Carolina
3	Danny LaRoseDanny LaRose	Tight end	Missouri
4	Mike ZenoMike Zeno	Guard	Virginia Tech
5	Fran TarkentonFran Tarkenton	Quarterback	Georgia
6	Larry EisenhauerLarry Eisenhauer ¹	Tackle	Boston College
7	Paul TerhesPaul Terhes	Quarterback	Bucknell
8	Charles LongCharles Long ¹	Guard	Tennessee-Chattanooga
9	Roland LakesRoland Lakes	Center	Wichita
10	Richard MuellerRichard Mueller	Offensive end	Kentucky
11	Mel WestMel West	Center	Missouri
12	Wayne HarrisWayne Harris	Center	Arkansas
13	Dan UnderwoodDan Underwood	Tackle	McNeese State
14	James WrightJames Wright	Quarterback	Memphis State
16	George BalthazarGeorge Balthazar	Tackle	Tennessee A&I
17	Ray RatkowskiRay Ratkowski	Halfback	Notre Dame
18	Tom RodgersTom Rodgers	Halfback	Kentucky
19	Joe BellinoJoe Bellino	Halfback	Navy
20	Clarence ChildsClarence Childs	Halfback	Florida A&M
21	Don OakesDon Oakes	Guard	Virginia Tech
22	Bob JohnsonBob Johnson	Offensive end	Michigan
23	Darrell DeDeckerDarrell DeDecker	Center	Illinois
24	Don WebbDon Webb	Halfback	Iowa State
25	Bob MinihaneBob Minihane	Tackle	Boston
26	Charley GrangerCharley Granger	Tackle	Southern
27	Terry HuxholdTerry Huxhold	Tackle	Wisconsin
28	Bryant HarvardBryant Harvard	Quarterback	Auburn
29	Ernie McMillanErnie McMillan	Tackle	Illinois
30	George HultzGeorge Hultz	Tackle	Mississippi Southern

Schedule

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 9	New York Titans	L 20–21	0–1	Boston University Field	16,683	Recap
2	September 16	Denver Broncos	W 45–17	1–1	Boston University Field	14,479	Recap
3	September 23	at Buffalo Bills	W 23–21	2–1	War Memorial Stadium	21,504	Recap
4	October 1	at New York Titans	L 30–37	2–2	Polo Grounds	15,189	Recap
5	October 7	San Diego Chargers	L 27–38	2–3	Boston University Field	17,748	Recap
6	October 13	Houston Oilers	T 31–31	2–3–1	Boston University Field	15,070	Recap
7	October 22	Buffalo Bills	W 52–21	3–3–1	Boston University Field	9,398	Recap
8	October 29	at Dallas Texans	W 18–17	4–3–1	Cotton Bowl	20,500	Recap
9	November 3	Dallas Texans	W 28–21	5–3–1	Boston University Field	25,063	Recap
10	November 12	at Houston Oilers	L 15–27	5–4–1	Jeppesen Stadium	35,649	Recap
11	November 17	Oakland Raiders	W 20–17	6–4–1	Boston University Field	17,169	Recap
12	Bye
13	December 3	at Denver Broncos	W 28–24	7–4–1	Bears Stadium	9,303	Recap
14	December 9	at Oakland Raiders	W 35–21	8–4–1	Candlestick Park	6,500	Recap
15	December 17	at San Diego Chargers	W 41–0	9–4–1	Balboa Stadium	21,339	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
view talk edit	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.

Name	Position	Notes
Tom Addison	LB
Houston Antwine	DT	Rookie
Walter Beach	DB/RB
Fred Bruney	DB
Ron Burton	HB
Gino Cappelletti	WR/K/DB	Number 20 retired by the Patriots
Jim Colclough	WR
Jim Crawford	FB/HB
Walt Cudzik	C/LB
Bob Dee	DE/DT	Number 89 retired by the Patriots
Jerry DeLucca	T/DT
Larry Eisenhauer	DE	Rookie
Larry Garron	HB
Milt Graham	T/DT	Rookie
Ron Hall	DB
Jim Hunt	DT/DE	Number 79 retired by the Patriots
Harry Jacobs	LB/DE
Harry Jagielski	DT/T
Joe Johnson	HB/E/WR
Bill Kimber	E
Dick Klein	T
Chuck Leo	G
Paul Lindquist	DT	Rookie
Ray Lardani	T	Rookie
Charlie Long	T/G	Rookie
Billy Lott	FB
Rommie Loudd	LB
Leroy Moore	DE
Ross O'Hanley	DB
Babe Parilli	QB
Willis Perkins	DE/G	Rookie
Ray Ratkowski	HB	Rookie
Frank Robotti	LB	Rookie
Al Romine	DB/HB
Tony Sardisco	G/LB
Gerard Swedes	HB
Chuck Shonta	DB
John Simmerson	C
Bob Soltis	DB
Butch Songin	QB
Thomas Stephens	TE/DB
Paper Towns	DB
Clyde Washington	DB/P
Don Webb	DB	Rookie
Rob Yates	T/C	Rookie
Tom Yewcic	QB/P/HB	Rookie

Players new to the team in 1961 are in bold.

Notes 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.. 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.. For season summary

Footnoted references

^ "Holovak shocked". The Telegraph. (Nashua, New Hampshire). Associated Press. October 11, 1961. p. 20.
^ "Pats toast of Boston". The Telegraph. (Nashua, New Hampshire). Associated Press. December 18, 1961. p. 17.
^ "AFC east helmets". The Helmet Project. 2007. Archived from the original on April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.

[shiok-1] "Holovak shocked". The Telegraph. (Nashua, New Hampshire). Associated Press. October 11, 1961. p. 20.

[toofbo-2] "Pats toast of Boston". The Telegraph. (Nashua, New Hampshire). Associated Press. December 18, 1961. p. 17.

[3] "AFC east helmets". The Helmet Project. 2007. Archived from the original on April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.

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v t e New England Patriots
Founded in 1960 Formerly the Boston Patriots (1960–1970) Based and headquartered in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Franchise	Franchise History Brady–Belichick era Hall of Fame Patriot Place Seasons All-time roster Coaches First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Retired numbers Strategy Broadcasters
Stadiums	Nickerson Field Fenway Park Alumni Stadium Harvard Stadium Foxboro Stadium Gillette Stadium
Culture	Billy Sullivan Robert Kraft Jonathan Kraft Pat Patriot Cheerleaders "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" "Crazy Train" "Your Love" Patriot Reign Family Guy "Patriot Games" "3 Acts of God" "Gronkowsbees" "This Is Our House" "Stunning and Brave" "Turd Burglars" Tom vs Time Man in the Arena: Tom Brady 80 for Brady
Lore	Snowplow Game Lisa Olson St. Louis Stallions Tuck Rule Game 2006 playoff game vs. San Diego Chargers 16–0 Spygate 2007 game vs. New York Giants Helmet Catch Butt Fumble Deflategate Malcolm Butler's interception Colts Catastrophe 28–3 Philly Special Miami Miracle Brady's return Lunatic Lateral
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Denver Broncos Indianapolis Colts Brady–Manning rivalry Miami Dolphins New York Giants New York Jets Pittsburgh Steelers
Division championships (22)	1963 1978 1986 1996 1997 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Conference championships (11)	1985 1996 2001 2003 2004 2007 2011 2014 2016 2017 2018
League championships (6)	2001 (XXXVI) 2003 (XXXVIII) 2004 (XXXIX) 2014 (XLIX) 2016 (LI) 2018 (LIII)
Retired numbers	12 20 40 56 57 73 78 79 89
Media	Broadcasters WBZ-FM WBZ-TV Radio network Gil Santos Gino Cappelletti Bob Socci Scott Zolak
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: East Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

v t e New England Patriots seasons
Formerly the Boston Patriots (1960–1970)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl victory Italics indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl appearance