There’s a little-known fact about the winningest team in pro football history – they almost became known as the “Bay State Patriots.”
Taking a look at some Patriots history; when they were in their second year in the NFL in 1971, they dropped their original “Boston Patriots” nickname from their AFL days. Before long, they adapted “Bay State” as part of their team name as a fitting tribute to the state of Massachusetts.
However, the “Bay State Patriots” team name didn’t last long. It has been 52 years since the country’s Northeast region embraced the now-familiar “New England Patriots” – a name that has been synonymous with a winning tradition for the better part of two decades.
Patriots History: How They Officially Became the ‘New England Patriots’
NFL historian Joe Horrigan told ThePostGame.com’s Martin Rogers in 2012 the Patriots were a team in disarray when it joined the National Football League in the early 1970s – a trend that began several years earlier in the defunct American Football League (AFL).
After the Pats recorded winning three seasons under head coaches Lou Saban and Mike Holovak from 1961 to 1964, Boston floundered in its last five seasons in the AFL. They won an average of barely five games per season as the 1960s decade wound down.
With guys like Joe Kapp, Jim Nance, and Ron Sellers leading the charge, Boston went an abysmal 2-12 in its first year in the NFL in 1971.
Consequently, Horrigan told Rogers support for the Pats dwindled considerably. Worse, the team lived a nomadic existence and played in different venues during the season.
According to Big Blue View’s Barry Shuck, Patriots owner Billy Sullivan was determined to put up a new stadium in downtown Boston. His efforts went for naught when the city council refused to offer financial support numerous times.
Sullivan remained undaunted. He eventually relocated the Patriots to Foxborough, MA.
The Pats tried broadening their fan base at the NFL ushered in the 1970s. To the team’s dismay, local fans had been supporting the New York Giants since their forgettable last few years in the AFL.
In an attempt to make a wider impact and reach out to more fans in the Northeast region, the team briefly changed its name to the “Bay State Patriots” in the spring of 1971. It didn’t come as a shock considering the famous Bay State Raceway is located in Foxborough
Regrettably, that moniker did not last long in Patriots history. According to Rogers, it didn’t resonate deeply with local fans. Plus, NFL owners never gave the nickname their thumbs-up, per Shuck.
The Boston Patriots almost became the Bay State Patriots until someone noticed that it might be shortened to the BS Patriots in the media. On March 22, 1971, they officially were renamed the New England Patriots. Their new home field would be in Foxboro, rather than Boston. pic.twitter.com/lohlXBdxxw
— Stat Man Bob Hyldburg (@BHyldburg) March 22, 2023
An embarrassing press release eventually sealed the deal and left a mark on Patriots history – the document’s heading referred to the team as the “B.S.Patriots” because its full name could not fit.
With that, management thought the press and opposing fans would make the Pats the league’s laughingstock.
To nobody’s surprise, the Patriots dropped “Bay State” and replaced it with “New England” at the urging of general manager Upton Bell. The team’s board of directors finally made it official on March 23, 1971. The re-christened “New England Patriots” were officially born.
Horrigan told ThePostGame.com in 2012 it was a huge turning point in Patriots history:
You can really say it was a turning point for the Patriots. They have really developed a regional following and been embraced by the New England area. Now, they are one of the most famous teams and brands in the world…As name changes go, it has to be one of the most successful ones ever.
For his part, former Pats offensive lineman Logan Mankins couldn’t agree more.
“I am glad we are not called ‘Bay State,'” Mankins told Rogers during the lead-up to Super Bowl XLVI against the Giants in February 2012. “I think ‘New England’ sounds a lot better.”
Success Didn’t Happen Overnight for the Patriots
New England Patriots HC and GM Bill Belichick – Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately, the name change did not result in instant success – they made the postseason just five times prior to legendary coach Bill Parcells’ hiring before the 1993 NFL season.
It wasn’t until New England hired former Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick in 2000 that it became a perennial Super Bowl contender and changed Patriots history forever.
The New England Patriots have lorded it over the rest of the National Football League since then.
