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| Today, Tuesday, July 7, 2009, when I got home from work there was a package waiting for me from the Patriots. It was my 2009 season tickets. I thought to myself, what better way to kick off the website updating for 2009 but with a picture of all of my season tickets laid out on my desk. So, here it is... |
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2009 marked the return of QB Tom Brady after the devastating knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2008 season. As always, some faces had changed and some fan favorites were playing elsewhere. Still, the 2009 Patriots were full of hope and promise, just like these season ticket booklets were full of memories that will last a lifetime. |
| The 2009 season also marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Football League. The owners that risked it all to compete against the entrenched National Football League began a series of events that directly influenced the NFL as it is today. Indeed, the term "Super Bowl" may never have been coined without the existence of the AFL. |
| As you all know, the Boston Patriots franchise was started by Billy Sullivan in 1959 when he purchased the last available team in the fledgling AFL. He didn't even have a home for them to play in so they played those first 12 years, for varying lengths of time, at Nickerson Field, Fenway Park, Alumni Stadium and Harvard Stadium. In 1969, understanding that the league was for real, the NFL agreed to merge with the AFL. Two years later, in 1971, Sullivan built Schaefer Stadium 30 miles south of Boston but just a few feet off the shoulder of Rt. 1 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. That year, when the team moved into their permanent home, Sullivan changed the name of the team to the New England Patriots. |
Here's to the Patriots and the rest of the old AFL teams! Thanks for 50 great years! |
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The original American Football League
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