NoCal Patriot
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
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Italian Pat Patriot had an idea to start a thread were everyone can participate in and share their memories of some forgotten incidents in the colorful History of Our New England Patriots.I am going to start this thread with a very colorful event.The time machine comes to a stop on a very important date in Patriots History. The date is August 15,1971,a date that will live forever.It was the Night of the FIRST Game ever at Schaefer Stadium.It was a warm August Night and anticipation filled the air.
It was my second season of Season Tickets but the first year that my friends Jack and Sully joined Joe and I as Season Ticket Holders.It had been an eventful year prior to this August Night.The Team had started building The Stadium in the previous fall.The Patriots had changed their name from ,The Boston Patriots to The Bay State Patriots, until finally They settled on The now famous,New England Patriots in March of 1971.The Draft that year had brought Us a ray of hope when The Patriots drafted The Heisman Trophy Winner,Jim Plunkett from Stanford University.There was a great deal of anticipation going into the 1971 Season and things were looking up.
Luckily for Me,my friends were as excited as I was and We left very early to get down for the Game. I drove my 1966 Ford Fairlane into the Parking Lot at 4p.m. I was lucky to beat the worst traffic snafu in the History of Foxboro.I know of many who never made it to the stadium.From the Parking lot the traffic stretched for miles up Route 1.As bad as it was,when everyone reached the parking Lot ,the excitement ramped up.No one knew where to go or what gate to enter.There was the excitement of Christmas Morning as a kid.The crowd that night was 60,423.
This game was 36 years ago and the memory has faded but I remember vividly Gino Cappaletti scoring The Patriots first points in The new Stadium which was only appropriate since He was the leading scorer in Patriots History at that time.On that evening We all got our first look at Jim Plunkett.The guy had incredible expectations on his shoulders.He played well that night for a Rookie and We all could see the promise.
We all know the toilets were less than operational and in fact in some Bathrooms They weren't even installed!There were other bathrooms where the plumbers had installed urinals at Six Feet High due to some kind of dispute with The Sullivans.It was such a desperate situation that many relived themselves against the walls! If You weren't there You would not believe it ! There were not enough concession stand or Beer Stands! The lines were enormous!
The crowd with all of these hardships stayed positive and were rewarded with a Patriots victory.The Final Score was Patriots 20 Giants 14 .
It took Me 4 hours to get back to Belmont,Mass that night but that evening left Me with a lifelong memory. It was simply a great night !
All of your memories are invited and anticipated.Remember,this is a group effort.
It was my second season of Season Tickets but the first year that my friends Jack and Sully joined Joe and I as Season Ticket Holders.It had been an eventful year prior to this August Night.The Team had started building The Stadium in the previous fall.The Patriots had changed their name from ,The Boston Patriots to The Bay State Patriots, until finally They settled on The now famous,New England Patriots in March of 1971.The Draft that year had brought Us a ray of hope when The Patriots drafted The Heisman Trophy Winner,Jim Plunkett from Stanford University.There was a great deal of anticipation going into the 1971 Season and things were looking up.
Luckily for Me,my friends were as excited as I was and We left very early to get down for the Game. I drove my 1966 Ford Fairlane into the Parking Lot at 4p.m. I was lucky to beat the worst traffic snafu in the History of Foxboro.I know of many who never made it to the stadium.From the Parking lot the traffic stretched for miles up Route 1.As bad as it was,when everyone reached the parking Lot ,the excitement ramped up.No one knew where to go or what gate to enter.There was the excitement of Christmas Morning as a kid.The crowd that night was 60,423.
This game was 36 years ago and the memory has faded but I remember vividly Gino Cappaletti scoring The Patriots first points in The new Stadium which was only appropriate since He was the leading scorer in Patriots History at that time.On that evening We all got our first look at Jim Plunkett.The guy had incredible expectations on his shoulders.He played well that night for a Rookie and We all could see the promise.
We all know the toilets were less than operational and in fact in some Bathrooms They weren't even installed!There were other bathrooms where the plumbers had installed urinals at Six Feet High due to some kind of dispute with The Sullivans.It was such a desperate situation that many relived themselves against the walls! If You weren't there You would not believe it ! There were not enough concession stand or Beer Stands! The lines were enormous!
The crowd with all of these hardships stayed positive and were rewarded with a Patriots victory.The Final Score was Patriots 20 Giants 14 .
It took Me 4 hours to get back to Belmont,Mass that night but that evening left Me with a lifelong memory. It was simply a great night !
All of your memories are invited and anticipated.Remember,this is a group effort.
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