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Today in Patriots History
Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks
Happy posthumous birthday to Chuck Fairbanks, who would have been 88 today. The second best coach and general manager in the history of the Patriot franchise was born on June 10, 1933 in Detroit, and was hired by the Pats on January 26, 1973.
After seven years of awful to average-at-best drafts had left the Patriot roster devoid of talent, in Fairbanks' first draft the team selected John Hannah, Sam Cunningham and Darryl Stingley. The next year they drafted Steve Nelson, Andy Johnson and Sam Hunt. Then in '75 the Pats added Russ Francis, Rod Shoate and Steve Grogan. For most teams a three-year stretch like that would be extremely impressive, but the Patriots were not done yet - hitting gold the following year.
Grogan had performed well enough in relief of injured Jim Plunkett for Fairbanks to put the number one pick from the 1971 draft on the market. Three days prior to the 1976 draft the trade was made, with the Pats receiving two first round selections in the upcoming draft, first and second round 1977 picks, and a backup QB for good measure. Those four draft picks turned out to be center Pete Brock, safety Tim Fox, running back Horace Ivory, and cornerback Raymond Clayborn, who was belatedly voted in to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2017. That group of four went on to play a combined 482 games for the Patriots.
In Fairbanks first season the Pats only went 5-9, but the improvement was already apparent. The offense improved from 24th to 16th in points scored, while the defense rose from 26th to 16th. The next year Fairbanks installed his 3-4 defense and the team started out at a league best 6-1, before injuries were too much to overcome. Still, the 7-7 finish was the first non-losing record since just missing out on a chance at the first super bowl in 1966, ending a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons.
1975 saw a player strike over the Sullivan's miserly negotiating tactics that led to a canceled preseason game, and a distraction that could not be overcome. Unfortunately this was just a foreshadowing of events to follow a couple years later.
In '76 the Pats went 11-3, making the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. The team ranked second in scoring offense and third in turnover differential. The Pats led the league with 5.0 yards per rush, and had not lost a game since October. Then came the Ben Dreith game, arguably the most egregiously one-sided officiated game in the history of the NFL. With Pittsburgh decimated by injuries and the AFC vastly superior to the NFC that year, the Raider-Patriots game was the de facto league championship game. Yes, it still bothers me to this day.
Fairbanks worked out contract extensions for Hannah and Leon Gray, two future Patriot Hall of Famers. The Sullivans screwed Fairbanks over however, not approving the deals and forcing him to renege on the contracts. Hannah and Gray walked out on the team during preseason and did not return until week four. The Pats had lost two games to below average teams by that time and never recovered, going 7-3 the rest of the way to finish 9-5, but missing the playoffs.
In 1978 Fairbanks worked out a contract extension with Stingley, just prior to his being viciously hit and paralyzed by Jack Tatum in a preseason game. When the Sullivans refused to honor that verbal commitment, it was the final straw; Fairbanks started looking for another job. The team won the AFC East, but then word leaked out that Fairbanks had been hired by the University of Colorado. Billy Sullivan suspended Fairbanks prior to the final game of the season, making the OC the head coach when the Pats had the ball, and the DC the head coach when on defense. The ridiculous arrangement predictably failed, and Fairbanks was allowed to return and coach the first home playoff game in franchise history. Under gloomy skies a lethargic and distracted team was defeated by Earl Campbell, Dan Pastorini and Bum Phillips' Houston Oilers on new years eve of 1978. With that loss, the Patriots' Chuck Fairbanks era was over.
Former Patriots Head Coach Chuck Fairbanks Passed Away
The New England Patriots are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Chuck Fairbanks, who served as head coach of the Patriots for six seasons from 1973 through 1978.
www.patriots.com
Chuck Fairbanks, a Fitful Football Coach, Dies at 79 (Published 2013)
Mr. Fairbanks built successful football teams in college at the University of Oklahoma and in the N.F.L. with New England. But controversy often followed him.
www.nytimes.com
Chuck Fairbanks for Patriots Hall of Fame - PatsPropaganda
This time of year the Patriots Hall of Fame committee meets to decide who will be the newest inductees. Each of the past couple years a heated debate has been centered around Bill Parcells, but I think there’s an equal and less-discussed case to be made for Chuck Fairbanks for the Patriots Hall...
www.patspropaganda.com
‘Roughing the Passer’: The Patriots-Raiders Game You Should Know About
Now that Tom Brady has shown us his throwback resume, let’s flash back to the Patriots-Raiders AFC divisional playoff game that took place on Dec. 18, 1976.
archive.boston.com