Patsfan Survey: When Did YOU Become a Patriots Fan?

[Kontradiction]

I was born in the 80's so, naturally, that's what I chose. Becoming a Pats fan was a birthright for me and my family.

 

[Coog548]

First real memory was the Bledsoe draft. I remember watching it at my parents place and screaming that we drafted him.

 

[FalconHeavy]

Came to US in 2000 and was introduced to Patriots / NFL by an MBTA conductor ! well rest is history

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Frustration is right. They were rarely on tv, and it was a quest to find where they were playing their home games in the early years.

The first time I went to Schaefer stadium, I remember a river of urine running out of one of the rest rooms in the fourth quarter. What a dump that place was, even when new.

Still, they were OUR team, we just had to love 'em.

I suppose it's too late, but I apologize for that

 

[markd]

When Parcells/Bledsoe hit (93).

 

[VJCPatriot]

Where are all the bandwagon fans?

Kinda debunks that claim right? OVer 88% of the fans here were already fans before the Pats won any championships.

I didn't consider myself as a serious fan until '93, the year the Pats drafted Drew Bledsoe. That gave me hope. Been a fan ever since. I cringe at the memories of reports like Tommy Hodson and Hugh Millen fighting it out for the top QB spot!! I believe that the Pats also changed to the Flying Elvis uniform then. Thank goodness Ortwein did not succeed in sneaking the Pats out of town and Kraft took over!

And of course Brady+BB has been truly epic! So much to be thankful for with the Pats!

 

[Lansdowne]

I always supported the local team, and I can remember vaguely as far back as the day when Bledsoe got drafted. But the 1996 season was the first time I started to really follow the NFL closely, and it was a magical season. It also brought me closer to my older brother. The rest is history. It's funny how during the 2000 season, when our Pats were losing to the likes of Doug Pederson, Damon Huard, and Koy Detmer, I felt 1996 was as good as it was ever going to get.

 

[DarrylS]

Was introduced to the NFL by a friends father in the mid 50's.. not sure the sequence by remember Nitchke, Jim Brown, YA Tittle, Bednarik, Andy Robaleski(sp) and a few others..

Somewhere, probably in the mid 60's, I found Jesus and have been loyal ever since..

I always remember the Sears Christmas Catalog and JC Penny Catalog, hoping I could find some Pats Gear.. there was never any instead they preferred the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles or a few other teams.. mostly NFL though.

The first pats gear I ever bought was a "squish the fish T-Shirt", I met the plane after they beat Miami in '85.. it was cool.

 

[olschool]

I suppose it's too late, but I apologize for that

Hah ! Must have been the Schaefer beer. You're still Wicked Pissah though, even without that panther piss beer.

 

[PlainOldEd]

Mid to late 80's in high school. If you had asked me before then I would have said I was a Pats fan, but I had no real passion until my locker was between a Jets fan and a Raiders fan for most of high school. They grouped us alphabetically, so I couldn't escape.

I still see the Raiders fan occasionally, he works in the same building as me....

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

Early nineties/my early teens.

 

[patfanken]

what the hell did you do with a pony

At the time we lived in the Franklin Field Projects. Not exactly pony friendly.

It was funny at half time when I heard my name called and told to come down to the scorer's table along with some other people. You can't imagine my disappointment when they walked me past the bike and took me to a freakin' Shetland pony. THEN they wanted me to get on the damned thing. I was about 9 or 10 at the time and the only time I'd been on a horse was the mechanical pony outside the supermarket when I was 6.

Naturally I went up on one side, and if it weren't for some reporter I would have gone off the other side. They took pictures and I was led to some storage section of the old building where I was given some quality time to "bond" with my new acquisition. Clearly we weren't taking him home. They had a price to "resell" him back to the owner. I think we got $125, which was pretty big money back in the late 50's. My Dad went out and got me a $25 bike, but to this day, I never knew what happened to the rest of money.

When I think back on it, all in all it was a pretty disappointing day. I didn't win the bike, I didn't get to see the 2nd half of the game. I didn't get a chance to meet any of the Celtics, although they were just a few feet away, and years later I realized my old man ripped me off for most of the prize money.

BTW- The winning name was Celty - Hard to believe I was the only one who picked THAT name.

 

[jlu52]

Been a fan since day one - and I ain't getting any younger! Been a good ride too, even through the bad seasons, with the exception of the Victor Kiam era. It was less than fun being a fan during his tenure, the only time I didn't actually like the team I was rooting for. It's turned out better than I could have ever hoped for.

 

[ensoul]

I watched the a little bit in the 80's. I didn't watch in the 90's for the simple fact that while I was in my teens and early 20's I worked at a grocery store and every Sunday I was working and I used to miss the games.

I really did not become a die hard fan until 1998 when I was able to watch the games.

 

[fgssand]

From the very start..........I was there that day.

9/9/60

Denver 13 Boston 10


Today in Pro Football History: 1960: Broncos Defeat Patriots as AFL Debuts

 

[BlueThunder]

Was introduced to the NFL by a friends father in the mid 50's.. not sure the sequence by remember Nitchke, Jim Brown, YA Tittle, Bednarik, Andy Robaleski(sp) and a few others..

Somewhere, probably in the mid 60's, I found Jesus and have been loyal ever since..

I always remember the Sears Christmas Catalog and JC Penny Catalog, hoping I could find some Pats Gear.. there was never any instead they preferred the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles or a few other teams.. mostly NFL though.

The first pats gear I ever bought was a "squish the fish T-Shirt", I met the plane after they beat Miami in '85.. it was cool.

You old fart !

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

From the very start..........I was there that day.

9/9/60

Denver 13 Boston 10


Today in Pro Football History: 1960: Broncos Defeat Patriots as AFL Debuts

Elway was 3 months old. Damn the little tyke owning us from the start.

 

[mgteich]

1) Bandwagon fans don't post in June.

2) I find it interesting that someone who became a fan when we drafted Bledsoe considers in aweful to follow a team only when it is a winner. I guess this is the Red Sox Fan analysis; all that matters in Super Bowls. But, of course, you reamined a fan. Maybe some of the new fans will also stay after the Belichick era.

3) I've fan since I moved to area as an adult in 1980, a relatively new fan. After all, I missed the 1976 patriots.

4) Beating Miami (squish the fish) and facing the Bears (berry the bears) loom as large to me as winning the 3rd Super Bowl with one of the very best teams of all time. Of course, one of the other memories is playing in the Toilet Bowl for the right to pick first in the draft.

5) Personally, I don't count the current era of greatness as beginning with Belichick and Brady; I view it as beginning with the coming of the Kraft's.

Kinda debunks that claim right? OVer 88% of the fans here were already fans before the Pats won any championships.

I didn't consider myself as a serious fan until '93, the year the Pats drafted Drew Bledsoe. That gave me hope. Been a fan ever since. I cringe at the memories of reports like Tommy Hodson and Hugh Millen fighting it out for the top QB spot!! I believe that the Pats also changed to the Flying Elvis uniform then. Thank goodness Ortwein did not succeed in sneaking the Pats out of town and Kraft took over!

And of course Brady+BB has been truly epic! So much to be thankful for with the Pats!

 

[patfanken]

1) Bandwagon fans don't post in June.

2) I find it interesting that someone who became a fan when we drafted Bledsoe considers in aweful to follow a team only when it is a winner. I guess this is the Red Sox Fan analysis; all that matters in Super Bowls. But, of course, you reamined a fan. Maybe some of the new fans will also stay after the Belichick era.

3) I've fan since I moved to area as an adult in 1980, a relatively new fan. After all, I missed the 1976 patriots.

4) Beating Miami (squish the fish) and facing the Bears (berry the bears) loom as large to me as winning the 3rd Super Bowl with one of the very best teams of all time. Of course, one of the other memories is playing in the Toilet Bowl for the right to pick first in the draft.

5) Personally, I don't count the current era of greatness as beginning with Belichick and Brady; I view it as beginning with the coming of the Kraft's.

IIRC there have been ONLY 3 losing seasons since Bob Kraft has owned the team. Its an amazing record given that 2 of those seasons came in his first 3 years of ownership. Think about it. 3 losing seasons in the last 20 years. (counting this one) No wonder they hate us.

 

[Dragda]

The year they switched from Boston Patriots to New England Patriots