1960 Boston Patriots season
OwnerBilly Sullivan
General managerEdward McKeever
Head coachLou Saban
Home fieldBoston University Field
Local radioWEEI
Results
Record5–9
Division place4th AFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify
AFL All-StarsNone
Uniform

The 1960 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's first season in the new American Football League. Led by head coach Lou Saban, the Patriots finished with five wins and nine losses, last in the AFL's Eastern Division. The team played their home games at Boston University Field (formerly the site of the Boston Braves' home ballpark Braves Field), later named "Nickerson Field."

Staff

1960 Boston Patriots staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches



Season summary

In 1960, the inaugural season of the American Football League, the Patriots played in several important "firsts". The first-ever AFL pre-season game was played on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night, July 30,[1] which Boston won.[2] They hosted the inaugural regular season game, a Friday night 13–10 loss to the Denver Broncos at Boston University Field on September 9.[3][4] The playing field was aligned along the first-base line. The Patriots started the season at 2–2, then lost three straight and won three straight in the middle of a five-game home stand to get back to .500 at 5–5, then ended the season on a four-game slide. They finished at 5–9, last in the AFL's Eastern Division, and second-worst in the eight-team league, ahead of Denver.

Butch Songin was the leading passer and Alan Miller was the leading rusher. Gino Cappelletti was a defensive back and placekicker the first year. Just before the final game, a receiver was slow getting back to the huddle, so Cappelletti filled in. He was impressive, and was a receiver for the rest of his career.

Season results

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Game Recap
1 September 9 Denver Broncos L 10–13 0–1 Boston University Field 21,597 Recap
2 September 17 at New York Titans W 28–24 1–1 Polo Grounds 19,200 Recap
3 September 23 Buffalo Bills L 0–13 1–2 Boston University Field 20,732 Recap
4 Bye
5 October 8 at Los Angeles Chargers W 35–0 2–2 L.A. Memorial Coliseum 18,226 Recap
6 October 16 at Oakland Raiders L 14–27 2–3 Kezar Stadium 11,500 Recap
7 October 23 at Denver Broncos L 24–31 2–4 Bears Stadium 12,683 Recap
8 October 28 Los Angeles Chargers L 16–45 2–5 Boston University Field 13,988 Recap
9 November 4 Oakland Raiders W 34–28 3–5 Boston University Field   8,446 Recap
10 November 11 New York Titans W 38–21 4–5 Boston University Field 11,653 Recap
11 November 18 Dallas Texans W 42–14 5–5 Boston University Field 14,721 Recap
12 November 25 Houston Oilers L 10–24 5–6 Boston University Field 27,123 Recap
13 December 4 at Buffalo Bills L 14–38 5–7 War Memorial Stadium 14,335 Recap
14 December 11 at Dallas Texans L 0–34 5–8 Cotton Bowl 12,000 Recap
15 December 18 at Houston Oilers L 21–37 5–9 Jeppesen Stadium 22,352 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game 1: The Patriots lost to the Broncos 13–10 in the AFL season opener on Friday night.[5] The Patriots struck first, with a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Denver receiver Al Carmichael caught a pass in the flats and scampered 41 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Bronco Gene Mingo took a punt 76 yards for a touchdown. Later in the quarter Patriot receiver Jim Colclough lost a fumble on the Denver 38. However, two plays later, Patriot defensive back Chuck Shonta took an interception 60 yards to the Denver 10, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Butch Songin to Colclough in the right side of the end zone. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots seemed to be on a game-winning drive until an interception at the Denver two-yard line. The Broncos then ran sixteen plays to run out the clock.

Game 2: The Patriots won a thriller at the Polo Grounds against the Titans, 28–24. The Patriots dug themselves into a hole, down 24 to 7 in the fourth quarter. They were down 24–21 on the last play of the game. The center, Mike Hudock, gave a low snap to the Titans punter, who fumbled and Patriot Chuck Shonta picked it up and raced 52 yards for the game-winning score.

Game 3: The Patriots were shut out 13–0 against the Bills, the highlight being a 58-yard touchdown pass from Tommy O'Connell to Carl Smith.

Game 4: The Patriots won their first decisive win of the season against the Chargers in Los Angeles. It began with an 11-play drive capped by a Gino Cappelletti field goal. On the following kickoff, Charger Don Norton fumbled, leading to a quick touchdown for Boston. The Patriots followed it up with a 19-yard touchdown pass. On the next drive, Jim Crawford scored a touchdown, set up by a 78-yard Billy Wells reception. A Harry Jacobs interception set up a Wells touchdown, and another Boston field goal wrapped up the day, as the Patriots rolled over the Chargers 35–0.

Game 5: The Patriots, after their terrific win over the Chargers, were given a rude awakening in Oakland. On just the third play of game, Jack Larscheid scored on an 87-yard run, and the Patriots never regained the lead. The Raiders quickly built up a 27–14 lead with 11:45 left to go in the first quarter. However, the Patriots twice drove deep into Oakland territory, both times winding up with Butch Songin throwing interceptions. The Patriots were sloppy throughout the game, with multiple unnecessary penalties and turnovers.

Game 6: The Patriots dropped a game that should have been theirs. Early in the third quarter, the Patriots led 24–0. Boston had dominated, with three Songin touchdown passes and a field goal. The Broncos were down but not out, and rallied back to stun the Patriots. In the last quarter and a half, the Broncos scored 31 unanswered points to win the game. Broncos quarterback Frank Tripucka lead the way, completing four touchdown passes to three different receivers. The game is still one of the largest deficits that a Patriot opponent has come back from to win.

Game 7: After an embarrassing loss several weeks before, the Chargers had revenge on their minds. They got it. The Chargers won the game by the time the first half arrived. When Paul Maguire fell on a fumble in the end zone early in the third quarter, they matched the 35-point lead the Patriots had in the previous game. Despite the Patriots' two following touchdowns, the Chargers ran over the Patriots 45–16.

Game 8: The Patriots faced the Raiders in a must-win game. The Patriots dominated throughout three quarters, aided by three Songin passing touchdowns. Boston held a 31 to 14 lead entering the fourth quarter, and seemed to be on the verge of their third win of season. The Raiders tried to pull off a similar comeback that the Broncos had two games earlier. The Raiders scored twice on running plays, and were soon driving for the game winning score. The Patriots managed to avoid a loss or tie, intercepting future Patriot quarterback Babe Parilli with just under two minutes to go. The Patriots had won just their third game of the season and their first on their home field. The game is noteworthy for having the lowest attendance of any regular season game in Patriots history at only 8,446.

Game 12: The Patriots hosted the Houston Oilers in what would be the first sellout game in American Football League history.[6]

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Houston Oilers 10 4 0 .714 5–1 379 285 W2
New York Titans 7 7 0 .500 2–4 382 399 L1
Buffalo Bills 5 8 1 .385 3–3 296 303 L2
Boston Patriots 5 9 0 .357 2–4 286 349 L4

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

Roster

All of the following players appeared in at least one game for the 1960 Boston Patriots.[7]

Number Name Position Notes
53 Tom Addison LB
85 Jack Atchason E
26 Walter Beach DB/RB
52 Phil Bennett LB
34 Joe Biscaha E
54 Bill E. Brown LB
33 Fred Bruney DB
22 Ron Burton HB
20 Gino Cappelletti WR/K/DB Number 20 retired by the Patriots
23 Richard Christy HB
23 Abe Cohen G
81 Jim Colclough WR
30 Jim Crawford FB/HB
77 Bobby Cross T/DT
34 Jake Crouthamel HB
72 Al Crow DT
56 Walt Cudzik C/LB
77 Bill Danenhauer DE
62 Jack Davis G
89 Bob Dee DE/DT Number 89 retired by the Patriots
74 Jerry DeLucca T/DT
15 Tom Dimitroff QB
76 Tony Discenzo T
40 Larry Garron HB
45 Jerry Green E
14 Tom Greene QB/P
67 Art Hauser T/G
79 Jim Lee Hunt DT/DE Number 79 retired by the Patriots
83 Harry Jacobs LB/DE
73 Harry Jagielski DT/T
24 Joe Johnson HB/E/WR
34 Bill Larson FB
60 Bob Lee G
63 Chuck Leo G
24 Walt Livingston HB
86 Oscar Lofton E
87 Mike Long E
85 Don McComb DE
75 George McGee T
32 Alan Miller FB
25 Ross O'Hanley DB
79 Al Richardson DE
80 Jack Rudolph LB
64 Tony Sardisco G/LB
44 Gerhard Schwedes HB
34 Chuck Shonta DB
70 Hal Smith DT
42 Bob Soltis DB
11 Butch Songin QB
45 Thomas Stephens TE/DB
72 Bill Striegel G/T/LB
22 Clyde Washington DB/P
41 Billy Wells HB
10 Harvey White QB

Starters

The following players started the most games at their respective positions:[7]

Pos Offense Pos Defense Pos Special teams
QB Butch Songin LDE Bob Dee K Gino Cappelletti
HB Richard Christy LDT Harry Jagielski P Tom Greene
FB Alan Miller RDT Hal Smith PR Billy Wells
FL Jim Colclough RDE Tony Sardisco KR Dick Christy
SE Oscar Lofton LOLB Tom Addison
TE Thomas Stephens MLB Bill E. Brown
LT George McGee ROLB Jack Rudolph
LG Charley Leo LCB Clyde Washington
C Walt Cudzik RCB Gino Cappelletti
RG Jack Davis LS Fred Bruney
RT Jerry DeLucca RS Ross O'Hanley

References

General
Notes
  1. ^ "Pats play Buffalo tonight". The Telegraph. (Nashua, New Hampshire). Associated Press. July 30, 1960. p. 7.
  2. ^ "Boston, Dallas cop grid tilts". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. August 1, 1960. p. 20.
  3. ^ "Patriots open tonight". The Telegraph. (Nashua, New Hampshire). Associated Press. September 9, 1960. p. 8.
  4. ^ Hoobing, Bob (September 10, 1960). "Broncos throw Patriots in AFL grid opener, 13-10". The Telegraph. (Nashua, New Hampshire). Associated Press. p. 11.
  5. ^ "Denver spoils Patriots' AFL debut, 13-10, before 21,587". Lewiston Daily Sun. (Maine). Associated Press. September 10, 1960. p. 8.
  6. ^ https://youtube.com/ZQ0YkHbMrHA?t=20m35s[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ a b "1960 Boston Patriots". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
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