Mary Malone Sullivan (wife of Billy) dead at age 92

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

This happened 4 days ago but I hadn't seen this anywhere and wanted to wish condolences to the Sullivan family.

That woman was a great support to Billy and his desire to own a football franchise,almost identical to how much Myra was to Robert.

Mary Malone Sullivan, 92, Patriots? founder?s widow - Boston.com

R.I.P. Mary

 

[italian pat patriot]

r.i.p.

heartfelt condolences to the family

always important to remember the huge effort from Billy Sullivan to have an AFL franchise in Boston; his desire for it was so big

 

[JPPT1974]

Wished that more people lived up to being that age. Good health played a part of it.
RIP to her and thoughts and prayers are with her family!

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Glad she got to see the 21st century Pats.
Rest in peace.

 

[Mike in 333]

Without the Sullivans who knows what we'd have. What we do have is the best team in the NFL. RIP Mrs. Sullivan and my condolences to the Sullivan family.

 

[shmessy]

Rest in peace, Mrs. Sullivan. Deepest thoughts to the entire Sullivan family.

 

[RayClay]

If she hadn't given up the house on the Cape, would we have a team to discuss?

 

[captain stone]

We likely would still have a team, though Billy himself likely wouldn't have had a team. After all, he was just 1 of 10 original partners, including Dom DiMaggio IIRC. He never had Bob Howsam money, never mind Lamar Hunt money. It could even be argued that if another partner with more sturdy finances could've been found, the franchise might've had more success more often.

 

[RayClay]

We likely would still have a team, though Billy himself likely wouldn't have had a team. After all, he was just 1 of 10 original partners, including Dom DiMaggio IIRC. He never had Bob Howsam money, never mind Lamar Hunt money. It could even be argued that if another partner with more sturdy finances could've been found, the franchise might've had more success more often.

The Philadelphia organization was about to hold a press conference 10 AM Monday announcing they had been awarded the last franchise. Sunday night, Sullivan stole the franchise away.

From Annihilus' wonderful Patriots History archive at Patriots Planet.

Patriots Planet

Boston Herald.
November 11, 1959
Bill Cunningham

I can't honestly say Mr. Sullivan didn't mention to me what he was up to. In fact, I couldn't avoid knowing he was on the long-distance telephone practically all day Sunday. That was after the story in Sunday's papers that Philadelphia, not Boston, had the inside track for the new league's eighth franchise

It further said Bob Carpenter, the Phil's baseball magnate, would announce his new connection with pro football at a special press conference called for 10 o'clock Monday morning...You'll notice he didn't.

There would not be other opportunities. No one would be crazy enough to invest in a team with no stadium and Boston's politics...

Which wouldn't matter because no established league would have offered a franchise without a huge, expensive, existing stadium.

Kraft bought a team with a 30 year history and a stadium, rudimentary though it was.

 

[captain stone]

Sullivan might have been the facilitator in the procurement of the 8th AFL franchise for Boston
due to his considerable PR/deal-making skills, but that alone should not have qualified him to become
the franchise's sole owner, with Chuck as the money man & Pat as the personnel man.

 

[Joker]

Heh....LOVED Patman.....

 

[RayClay]

Sullivan might have been the facilitator in the procurement of the 8th AFL franchise for Boston
due to his considerable PR/deal-making skills, but that alone should not have qualified him to become
the franchise's sole owner, with Chuck as the money man & Pat as the personnel man.

No one else wanted it. There was no stadium and a history of failed football teams.

 

[shmessy]

The Philadelphia organization was about to hold a press conference 10 AM Monday announcing they had been awarded the last franchise. Sunday night, Sullivan stole the franchise away.

From Annihilus' wonderful Patriots History archive at Patriots Planet.

Patriots Planet



There would not be other opportunities. No one would be crazy enough to invest in a team with no stadium and Boston's politics...

Which wouldn't matter because no established league would have offered a franchise without a huge, expensive, existing stadium.

Kraft bought a team with a 30 year history and a stadium, rudimentary though it was.

Please.

Bob Kraft paid $172 million (the largest amount at that time for any NFL team in history) for what was a steaming pile of crap. The Montreal Expos had better potential.

 

[RayClay]

Please.

Bob Kraft paid $172 million (the largest amount at that time for any NFL team in history) for what was a steaming pile of crap. The Montreal Expos had better potential.

What i said was true. Nobody would have offered some owner without a team and a stadium a franchise period.

Always nice to fly first class, but somebody needed to land on their heads at Kittyhawk first.

 

[Joker]

What i said was true. Nobody would have offered some owner without a team and a stadium a franchise period.

Always nice to fly first class, but somebody needed to land on their heads at Kittyhawk first.

I prefer a more classical analogy, Ray....

poor poor Icarus....

 

[RayClay]

I enjoyed this particular pile of dung.

1985 New England Patriots playoff run - YouTube

 

[Joker]

awww man...I think I love you...where the hell did you find THAT?

 

[RayClay]

awww man...I think I love you...where the hell did you find THAT?

Uhhm, Youtube?

 

[Joker]

doh...yeah...I just watched a couple of other clips...I'm not the sharpest tool in the drawer,Ray...:ugh: