BrianPat

I just found a story on Parcells taking over Miami and what he's going to do, they focused on his increasing the net worth of the team and when they started about the Patriots, there was this paragraph:

"The Patriots story is the most interesting. In the early '90s, New England needed a new owner but the club value was so low that the league got involved in fixing up the franchise for sale. Parcells was hand-picked by the NFL to be the head coach and general manager and given the charge to reorganize and effectively reposition the New England Patriots franchise in the marketplace."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story;jsessi...o&confirm=true

I thought Kraft bought the team and hired Parcells, was I wrong ?

Patriot Power

Yup, you were wrong.

Orthwein hired Tuna, although the NFL apparently helped make it happen according to that piece.

BrianPat

Wow, ok thanks, its good too know the facts !

AzPatsFan

Yes.

Parcels was hired by the heir of the Budweiser beer fortune. Mr. Orthwein, who had bought the Team from Victor Kiam, of Remington shaver fame.
By that time the Chicago Cardinals were being driven from St. Louis by a lack of interest in their all-losing incompetence. Mr. Budweiser wanted to buy the Team and move it to his hometown, St Louis.

Bob Kraft, he of the "Kraft paper" fame, a Pats fan and long time season ticket holder, saw an opportunity and seized it. He outbid everyone for a the few pennies for the decrepit Foxboro Stadium, that no one wanted. No one wanted a broken down stadium with a no other team, in a suburb far from any other team. But Kraft knew something others did not. He bought the Stadium. (... along with its iron-clad, long term, unbreakable lease signed by the Pats)...

When Budweiser wanted to move the Team, Kraft would not let them out of the lease for any amount of reasonable, or unreasonable, money. Eventually they quit, when their lawyers couldn't break the lease.

Then Kraft bought the team along with its Coach, one Duane "Bill", aka,"the Tuna" Parcels, to continue to play in his stadium. The rest is history.

RayClay

Kraft didn't get the wrest the last AFL franchise from Philadelphia either.

__________________

BrianPat

Thanks for the education people !!

zarakotas5

Yes. Thanks for the info. These details were lost on me along the way, but the acumen (and loyalty) of Kraft has garnered increased respect from me.

Good chap, that guy, eh?

MetalBleachers

Well, if we didn't get Parcells, I'm sure Dick MacPherson would have been available.

Patstopia

I remember it all, except the part where the NFL is involved in picking Parcells as the coach. Sounds like BS to me.

__________________
In BB we trust...the media...not so much!

jczxohn1

That's how I remember it. Didn't Kraft also have a foot in the door by owning the land, or at least adjoining land with some sort of a horse or dog racing
track? IIRC there was some flap about Kraft pushing a co-owner out the door around hat time.

__________________
Felger started his question, "Correct me if I'm wrong," BB quickly interjected, "I can't wait--"


``The officials now are evaluating the players and their performance, I mean, that's great,'' Belichick deadpanned. ``I can't say how much that means to me, really.''