When Did You Become a Pats Fan?

[3 to be 4]

1975. I started off as a Giants fan when we lived in Connecticut. 1970, Fran Tarkenton and Ron Johnson got me hooked on football. When we moved to Cape Cod in 1972 I remained a Giants fan although i liked the Patriots, but i could never embrace them as my team. Something happened in 1975, Grogan emerged, moving up from #3, passed Neil Graf (remember him?) and finally replaced Plunkett. Grogan and new TE Russ Francis kind of changed things for me. By the end of the season I was a full fledged Patriots fan. 1976 was amazing, however, what this era's fans cant appreciate is that until 1994 the Patriots rarely ever sold out so most home games were not televised.
Playoff berth clinchers in 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1985 all had to heard on the radio.
one my biggest Patriot moments was when they clinched in 1978 on FG by David Posey to beat the Bills 26-24. I can still hear Gil Santos "Its gooood! David Posey!!!! And the Patriots are the American Football Conference Eastern Division Champions!!!!!!
It wasnt like the SB 36 call, but for its time, it was huge.

 

[OhExaulted1]

I must admit, I was a huge Bruins fan in the late 70's and 80's. My old man took me to a few games and we always watched them on WSBK CH. 38 (3 on the old dial in Portsmouth). Football players were pima donnas in his eyes.

We watched their run in '86, which was magical, but I was still a bigger Red Sox, Celtic and Bruin fan back then (14). I really started watching the Pats for real after Parcells, Bledsoe and Kraft came along. Up until then they were #4 on my list.

Nowadays the B's and Celt's stink and are a long way off from being champions. Thank God for that 4th Pro team in NE. I'm not a "fair weather" fan, just a fan of all four NE sports teams. I may be biased, but I think we have the best fans in the world here in NE. Having a contending team in Boston is good for every sport.

 

[brdmaverick]

I first became a fan in 1992.....

...I was in the seventh grade and a die hard Celtics fan at the time (yes, the crappy Celtics with Dee Brown, Dino Radja, Sherman Douglass, Eric Montross, and Dominique Wilkins). My uncle introduced me to the game of football and I've been HOOKED ever since. Oh, and I could care less about the Celtics ever since the late 90's.

 

[beatle]

I became a Pats fan in around 1967, 1968. Nick Buoniconti, LB, Tom Neville,OT, Jim Cheyunski, LB, Jim Nance, FB, Gino Cappelletti, WR/K, were some of the players on the team. I had the opportunity to go the first game at Foxboro Stadium in 1971, an exhibition game against the NYG with my grandfather.

We Pats fans suffered through many losing seasons those early years. 1976 was a special year. They went 11-3. I will never forget when a broadcaster stated that the Patriots are now elite team in the NFL. We won't discuss that OAK playoff game, although I think if we did win that one could have won the Super Bowl.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Yes, no mention of the Ben Dreith debacle please.
Although I was a day 1 Pats fan, my primary team in the 60s was the Bill Russell Celtics. For precisely that reason I admire the Belichick Brady era.

 

[Mike the Brit]

1981.

I'd learned a tiny bit about "American Football" from some of my American friends, but 1981-82 was the year I spent in New England. I watched a lot of football on the TV and there were a few teams I liked (San Diego, San Francisco) and some I hated (Dolphins, Cowboys, Raiders -- still do) but the Pats were the home town team.

Somehow it soon got to the point that they were the only team where I cared about their winning or losing -- which in those days was mostly losing. Was it 2-14 or 1-15? Certainly we got to pick first in the 1982 draft (Ken Sims, since you ask).

 

[Dragda]

For this first time in my life, I am a front runner! I have NEVER been in any grouping which led the others. Ever. Now watch a bunch of 80's kids come along and ruin it for me.

 

[TMoney]

I am from Ireland and moved to here in July of 2006 (Yes this year). I use to listen to WEEI every morning cause my truck had no FM radio. I decided to watch the first game last season to see what all the fuss was and now I am hooked. I am a huge soccer fan but american football is so intense, I hate to say it but I prefer watching American football to Soccer. Also I love the Pats Philosphy.... its all about the team. And they are such a great organization, if only the red soxs had there kind of management.

After the AFC game I could not look at ESPN or read anything on Football for a good two weeks. I can't wait for the draft and next season. I wish it wasn't so hard to get tickets cause I still haven't seen a game in person yet.


"Keep your body low and your legs moving"

 

[waspie (UK)]

Somewhere around week 12 or 13 of the 1985 season. So yeah, I was just a glory hunter. Still here though.

I hate to say it but I prefer watching American football to Soccer.

Nothing to apologise for. You have seen the light, brother.

 

[ironwasp]

Like many in the UK I picked up football in the early 80s after Channel 4 began showing games for the first time in 1982, although having spent a lot of time in the US as a child I was already aware of the game.

Most of that time was spent in Baltimore so as a child (I was 10 in 1982) I had originally been a Colts fan, but when Irsay moved that team to Indy in 1984 I was instructed by my family there that I could no longer follow the Colts. At some point in the 1984 season I picked the Patriots as the alternative, largely I think because of the colour of the shirts and the England in the name.

 

[ChoWZa]

somewhere in the bledsoe era... i'm 22 so as soon as I was old enough to care I was a Pats fan. home team

 

[Patti37]

Sometime in the late 60's.

 

[Patjew]

January 1986, when I was 12.

By the time I was 13, I couldn't sleep if the Pats lost.

 

[ironwasp]

January 1986, when I was 12.

By the time I was 13, I couldn't sleep if the Pats lost.

That's a lot of lost hours over the years. Enough to support a diagnosis of insomnia.

 

[old 55]

When the Pats signed Joe Kapp.

 

[PromisedLand]

When the Pats signed Joe Kapp.

I remember all the excitement when that was announced. He had led the Vikes to the NFC championship the year before IIRC. Didn't work out so well for us though, did it? It seemed like the Patriots had the Sidam Touch in those days (that's the opposite of the Midas Touch - everything we touched turned to sxxx. )

 

[fumbrunner]

The first game I watched was the AFCCG in 1986. I was seven years old. I'd watch off and on after that but there were some blacked out games and a lot of others that should have been. I did not begin watching religiously until the Bledsoe draft.

ditto. Remember watching in 86 (I was 10) but became a devoted fan in the Bledsoe era. Watched them live in Minneapolis in 95 or 96 and cheered for them from afar since (I live in Winnipeg, Canada).

I do plan on making my first trip to foxboro this fall

 

[Gopats!!!]

I became a fan in the early 1990s. I grew up in a family that never watched sports on TV. Once I joined the military watching the games became a way of connecting with home.

I soon became a die hard fan. While I haven't felt the pain someone watching from the 70's has, I've seen enough tough seasons to appreciate what we have now.

My youngest son's middle name is Drew (after Bledsoe of course) and I have a Pats tattoo (in addition to a million other things!)

 

[The 12th Man]

93-94 season. I was 11 and barely learned the rules of football. Being from Washington State, I started off because I was following Bledsoe, who was a hometown hero here. Then, I fell in love with Parcells and his coaching style. And I always said I am a one team man. Once, I like a team, they are my team forever and it's been the case. It's actually kinda funny and brings back many good memories of our first SuperBowl. All of my friends here hate the Patriots and were talking all kinds of trash about them. All I know, after Adam's field goal against the Rams, I was the happiest man in the world. The haters still hate to this day, but what can you do? I'm still surprised I guess at how many people hate the Patriots, especially here on the west coast. Oh well, getting off topic, sorry. Yeah, Pats fan since Bledsoe era and forever!

 

[patriotspride]

i got hooked in the seventies . steve grogan mac heron sam bam cunningham .the 76 team should have won the sb.they beat everybody .