Who Was A Fan During The Dark Years

[Pats1989]

I've been a Patriots fan since 2004. I've risen with the many ups and few ( Brady injury, playoff defeats) downs. Who on here was a fan before Kraft arrived? A time when blackouts, fan apathy were a common sight. How has that made you appreciate, and furthermore deal with heart wrenching losses like tonight? Just curious.

 

[A.C Vegas]

A lot of the fans were here then I remeber 1-15 season the first season i remeber was the 86 super bowl season

 

[fnordcircle]

I've always been a contrarian little ****. I was 10, turned on the game and the Dolphins (who I had rooted for when they were playing the Redskins) were playing the Patriots. My desire to never root for the home team (still hate the Sox) was overcome by my desire to root for the underdog, Patriots won the game and I was hooked. Fan for life even if they ended up getting blown out by the Bears in the super bowl.

Came close to ditching the team when Raymond Berry's idiocy resulted in Flutie leaving. I spent a summer declaring myself a Raiders fan (go easy, I was young and didn't know about Stingley and other Raider ******** and was basically just a Bo Jackson fan because of Tecmo Bowl) but by the time the season rolled around I was rooting for the Pats again.

 

[Nikolai]

Became a full-time fan in 1991...yeah

The sun rises in the morning. Life will go on. After the 2006 AFCCG, SB42, 4th and 2, the entire 2009 season, the 2010 playoffs, SB46, the Denver AFCCGs...I've figured out how to cope just fine.

 

[Joker]

Became a fan in 1960...held season tickets in old Schaefer Stadium in the 70's and 80's. Lived the life of a diehard, hard core Patriot fan with 50 or so other people...Lot 17...Section 206. Saw a lot of horrible football games. Never ever had a bad day tailgating with the group. We made every Sunday a gustatory event.And the beer? Ice cold kegs and kegs of just about every damn brew that was around.

Kraft ruined everything by buying the lots ,paving them over, slotting parking spots and essentially doing away with the tribal atmosphere. Life is change and yes, all this winning has been a lot of fun. I still miss the old underdog days though.

 

[Brit patriot]

Became a Pats fan when they were the worst team and got Drew Bledsoe. Being in the UK, I needed a reason to support a U.S team, so the fact Boston had Irish people, a new QB, and I hated following the crowd, NE were my team.

Once upon a time, all we got were highlight shows, so to say I was invested in the mid 90's as I am now would be a lie (it was just too hard to keep up, though i would try my best) However, with the birth of the internet, and TV showing live games around the late 90's, it became easier to be an obsessive.

Drew Bledsoe got me into the game, so when he was ditched, I was bitter as hell. I look back and it was the right decision in the long run, but that was the reason for my two and a half year sulk.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

1960 as a kid.
Later in the decade saw Pats play in strange venues like vs Houston Texans at Hahvid Stadium. Sat in the bleachers facing the EZ at Fenway park on Friday night games. Row behind us had a broken beer bottle fight. Saw Joe Namath's 1st pre-season game vs Pats in Lowell. Many years at old stadium. I'd park across Route 1 in the woods for $0, walk to the stadium and buy seats from guys in the parking lot.

Best Pats team was 1976 where we were robbed by SEVERAL bad calls. No PI as our TE Russ Francis had his arms grabbed and pulled apart from behind and ball bounced off his chest. Sound familiar? Ben Dreith (may he rot in hell) with the roughing the passer on Sugar Bear Hamilton.

Used to go to games, now boycotting any $ to Kraft. I've lost interest in the league and football. Probably done after BB and Tom are gone.

 

[DarrylS]

Maybe I am too much of a seasoned fan, since forever, but last night was not heart wrenching.. at the beginning of the season said the Pats would win between 12 & 13 games.. there are losses, but not sure this is as devastating as it is made out to be.

After listening to Chris Collinsworth speak out of the side of his mouth for over 3 hours last night telling us how wonderful the Seahawks are in every dimension of the game ... it came down to a really crappy non call in the end zone which would have brought us to within 1.

What is devastating to me is having to listen to Collinsworth ramble on incoherently for all of that time..

Yesterday was a great day for football. Saints & Denver, Pittsburgh and Dallas and then this game.. it was very watchable..

The Pats has two ill timed turnovers, the team with the least amount of turnovers usually wins..

 

[RobertWeathers]

I've been a Patriots fan since 2004. I've risen with the many ups and few ( Brady injury, playoff defeats) downs. Who on here was a fan before Kraft arrived? A time when blackouts, fan apathy were a common sight. How has that made you appreciate, and furthermore deal with heart wrenching losses like tonight? Just curious.

I watched games back in 1981, 82 around there.

Last night sucked and I have some concerns with this team but nothing, nothing was as bad as what we had to endure from 1989-1992.

 

[RayClay]

Compared to the our recent run, every team in the NFL had "dark years." The Pats were never sad sacks like the Browns or Lions, they were an underfunded team without a stadium [then a joke of one] who usually played with a lot of heart, had some fine teams that couldn't get over the hump and bottomed out on occasion.

I guess our advantage is, we were raised in sports reality as far as learning how hard it is to win big. I feel sorry for fans who see excellence that's not perfect as a disaster.

 

[RayClay]

Oh, '61 my earliest memory. What a thrill to have our own football team and they were pretty good for a while.

 

[scott99]

Been a fan since 1975. Have seen a lot of ups and downs, especially the first 26 years as a fan. The last 15 have been insane. I have to pinch myself still thinking it's a dream. The Brady/Belichick era has been incredible. Actually good stuff started happening way back during the Bledsoe/Parcells era, so the last 22 seasons have been awesome. Don't think it's a coincidence that Kraft took over about then.

 

[PlanB]

1976. I was living in NY and started dating a guy from Boston. Dumped the guy, kept the team. The dirt parking lots were swamps in heavy rain. The only thing that kept you on the edge of your seat in those days were the ice-cold bleachers.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

I've been a Pat's Fan since'76. I've been to Schaefer/Foxboro/Gillette many times over those/these yrs and of course here in NY when Pats played Jets at Shea/Giants Stadium as well.

 

[fgssand]

I've been a fan from the very start and even before.....my dad not only took me to the very first home game (BU Field), but he also took me to practices that summer, it was somewhere in Lowell, Ma and also I saw them practice in East Boston, near the airport a few years later.

I have been to every home stadium the Patriots have played in, except one been to: BU Field, BC, Harvard, Fenway, Foxboro Missed: "Home Game"- Birmingham, Al (1968 home opener vs Jets).

Season tickets in my family since the 60's, my Dad taking me, my taking my three sons and now we are taking two of my grandkids with a third almost ready to attend (she is two months)!!

I have seen it all and it is amazing and so very enjoyable to go from being envious of the top team and of course hating the "Cowboys, 49ers etc to become the most hated team of them all......thank you Bob Kraft, BB and of course Tom Brady!!

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Been a fan since '76. Went to at least two games a year for ages. Now refusing to go to any games or buy any licensed crap because of NFL and Kraft (and not just for his DFG behavior but also for his other garbage like screwing 1500 STHs to build that stupid lounge). I'll see the Brady and Belichick storyline to its end and then I'm out.

 

[turkeyneck]

A fan from the beginning. I see quite a few came in for '76. That team was awesome. That year was the most fun I've had as a Pats fan - well, except for the end. Good stuff since then, but nothing like that. Maybe I'm jaded in my dotage.

 

[FCB02062]

been watching this team, or listening to them on the radio when games were blacked out, since 1981 or 1982....I was 7 or 8 back then so I didn't really understand what I was watching. My father tried explaining it to me but it was pretty complicated for a little kid!

 

[SteveKiner]

Fan since 1968. Went through some real down years but didn't really care. I wasn't really into it until they hired Chuck Fairbanks. They finally started drafting some true talent and then came 1974. The bad news Patriots start off the year 6-1 and Bob Windsor tears up his knee beating NFC Champion Vikings. All the injuries mount up and they finish at 7-7. But finally they are not just fodder for the rest of the league. They are an actual competitive team. I am hooked. 1976 was magic that ended in a nightmare. Then the Sullivans screw up a good thing and back to the doldrums but I am hooked for life. A few high spots here and there 1985, 1996 etc. but then when BB came in they became what they are now.

 

[Dagg]

Fan since 1979..some lean years in the 80s