1971 New England Patriots season
Encyclopedia
The New England Patriots
finished the National Football League
's 1971 season
with a record of six wins and eight losses, and finished third in the AFC
East
division. It was the first season the Patriots played in Schaeffer Stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
after playing in three different stadiums the previous three seasons in Boston. It was the first season after the Patriots changed its name from the Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots
in a move to regionalize the franchise and represent the six New England
states.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
finished the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's 1971 season
1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...
with a record of six wins and eight losses, and finished third in the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
East
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
division. It was the first season the Patriots played in Schaeffer Stadium
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
after playing in three different stadiums the previous three seasons in Boston. It was the first season after the Patriots changed its name from the Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in a move to regionalize the franchise and represent the six New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states.
Staff
| New England Patriots 1971 staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
|
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Schedule
| Score | Offense | Defense | |||||||||||||||||
| Week | Date | Rec | Opp | Tm | Opp | 1stD | TotYd | PassY | RushY | TO | 1stD | TotYd | PassY | RushY | TO | Attendance | |||
| 1 | Sun | September 19 | W | 1–0 | Oakland Raiders | 20 | 6 | 12 | 261 | 127 | 134 | 3 | 20 | 304 | 99 | 205 | 4 | |
|
| 2 | Sun | September 26 | L | 1–1 | Detroit Lions | 7 | 34 | 10 | 246 | 101 | 145 | 3 | 19 | 368 | 204 | 164 | |
||
| 3 | Sun | October 3 | L | 1–2 | Baltimore Colts | 3 | 23 | 9 | 151 | 62 | 89 | 1 | 24 | 358 | 222 | 136 | 2 | |
|
| 4 | Sun | October 10 | W | 2–2 | New York Jets | 20 | 0 | 15 | 337 | 130 | 207 | 2 | 11 | 121 | 8 | 113 | 2 | |
|
| 5 | Sun | October 17 | L | 2–3 | at | Miami Dolphins | 3 | 41 | 11 | 117 | 82 | 35 | 3 | 19 | 431 | 216 | 215 | |
|
| 6 | Sun | October 24 | L | 2–4 | at | Dallas Cowboys | 21 | 44 | 17 | 259 | 183 | 76 | 3 | 20 | 406 | 238 | 168 | |
|
| 7 | Sun | October 31 | L | 2–5 | at | San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 27 | 11 | 246 | 69 | 177 | 3 | 13 | 247 | 176 | 71 | 5 | |
| 8 | Sun | November 7 | W | 3–5 | Houston Oilers | 28 | 20 | 21 | 253 | 154 | 99 | 16 | 331 | 260 | 71 | 3 | |
||
| 9 | Sun | November 14 | W | 4–5 | Buffalo Bills | 38 | 33 | 9 | 299 | 180 | 119 | 3 | 15 | 217 | 128 | 89 | 1 | |
|
| 10 | Sun | November 21 | L | 4–6 | at | Cleveland Browns | 7 | 27 | 19 | 292 | 169 | 123 | 4 | 19 | 321 | 146 | 175 | |
|
| 11 | Sun | November 28 | L | 4–7 | at | Buffalo Bills | 20 | 27 | 15 | 294 | 105 | 189 | 3 | 15 | 264 | 117 | 147 | 1 | |
| 12 | Sun | December 5 | W | 5–7 | Miami Dolphins | 34 | 13 | 14 | 308 | 223 | 85 | 12 | 197 | 99 | 98 | 5 | |
||
| 13 | Sun | December 12 | L | 5–8 | at | New York Jets | 6 | 13 | 16 | 250 | 150 | 100 | 2 | 17 | 261 | 95 | 166 | 4 | |
| 14 | Sun | December 19 | W | 6–8 | at | Baltimore Colts | 21 | 17 | 11 | 243 | 152 | 91 | 2 | 17 | 246 | 146 | 100 | 2 | |
Standings
| AFC East AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets... |
||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins 1971 Miami Dolphins season -NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:- Standings : -Roster:-Scoring summary:*Dallas Mike Clark, FG 14 yds *Dallas L.Alworth, 9 yd pass from Staubach *Miami Yeprmeniam, FG 23 yds... |
10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 315 | 174 |
| Baltimore Colts 1971 Baltimore Colts season The 1971 Baltimore Colts season was the 19th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1971 season with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses, and finished second in the AFC East.- Schedule :... |
10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 313 | 140 |
| New England Patriots | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 238 | 325 |
| New York Jets 1971 New York Jets season The 1971 New York Jets season was the 12th season for the team and the second in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 4–10 record from 1970 under head coach Weeb Ewbank. Disaster struck before the regular season ever started and it was a remarkable feat... |
6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 212 | 299 |
| Buffalo Bills 1971 Buffalo Bills season The 1971 Buffalo Bills season was the 12th season for the club and its 2nd in the National Football League.For the second time in four seasons, the Bills finished with a 1-13 record. The season began in turmoil when coach John Rauch resigned, forcing pro personnel director Harvey Johnson to assume... |
1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 184 | 394 |
Roster
All of the following players appeared in at least one game for the 1971 New England Patriots.| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Randy Vataha Randy Vataha Randel Edward "Randy" Vataha, , was a wide receiver who played seven seasons in the NFL.-College career:Vataha, a wide receiver, was one of Jim Plunkett's favorite receiving targets at Stanford... |
WR | |
| Jim Plunkett Jim Plunkett James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ... |
QB | |
| Jim Nance Jim Nance James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance was an American collegiate and Professional Football fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League... |
RB | |
| Carl Garrett Carl Garrett Carl L. Garrett is a former American football halfback who began his professional career with the American Football League's Boston Patriots.... |
RB | |
| Tom Neville | Tackle | |
| Bill Lenkaitis Bill Lenkaitis William Edward Lenkaitis is a former professional football player. He was a center and guard who played fourteen professional seasons. He played with the American Football League's San Diego Chargers in 1968 and 1969, and the with the National Football League's San Diego Chargers in 1970... |
C | |
| Julius Adams Julius Adams Julius Adams was a defensive lineman in the NFL. For his entire career he played for the New England Patriots. He is the father of former NFL player, Keith Adams.-College career:... |
DE | |
| Tom Beer Tom Beer Thomas John Beer was an American football player who played at the University of Houston and professionally for the Denver Broncos of the American Football League and the NFL's Boston Patriots and New England Patriots.... |
TE | |
| Ron Berger Ron Berger Ron Berger was an American college and professional football player. A defensive end, he played college football at Wayne State University, and played professionally in the American Football League and National Football League for the Boston/New England Patriots.-Career:Berger began his career... |
DE | |
| Randy Beverly Randy Beverly Randy Beverly is a former professional American football player. He played cornerback for the American Football League's New York Jets and is best known for making two key interceptions that helped the Jets to their historic victory in Super Bowl III in 1969.-Early career:Beverly grew up in... |
CB | |
| Hubie Bryant | WR | |
| James Cheyunski | LB | |
| Bob Gladieux | WR | |
| Charlie Gogolak Charlie Gogolak Charles Paul Gogolak is a retired American football placekicker.... |
K | |
| Rickie Harris | S | |
| Tom Janik Tom Janik Thomas Alvin Janik was a former American college and Professional Football player who was born in Poth, Texas. He attended the Texas College of Arts and Industries , where he was an all-conference running back and punter. He was inducted to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982... |
P | |
| Odell Lawson | RB | |
| Jack Maitland Jack Maitland John Frederick "Jack" Maitland is a former American football running back in the National Football League in the 1970s and earned a Super Bowl ring. He attended Upper St. Clair High School near Pittsburgh, then Williams College. His pro-career was spent with both the Baltimore Colts and the New... |
RB | |
| Mike Montler Mike Montler Michael R. Montler was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Boston/New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, and the Detroit Lions.-University of Colorado:... |
Tackle | |
| Ed Philpott Ed Philpott Ed Philpott is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Boston Patriots in the fourth round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He played college football at Miami .... |
LB | |
| David Rowe | DT | |
| Dennis Wirgowski | DT | |
| Don Webb | S | |
| Al Sykes | WR | |
| Ron Sellers Ron Sellers Ron "Jingle Joints" Sellers was an American college and professional football player. He played college football for Florida State University, where he was a two-time All-American... |
WR | |
| John Outlaw | DB | |
| Steve Kiner Steve Kiner Steven Albert Kiner is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and the Houston Oilers. Kiner attended the University of Tennessee from 1967 to 1969, where he was an All-American. He was elected to... |
DB | |
| Reggie Rucker Reggie Rucker Reginald Joseph Rucker is a former professional American football player. Rucker played in twelve National Football League seasons from 1970–1981, primarily for the Cleveland Browns. He played college football for Boston University.Rucker has been a part of the Cleveland media since his retirement... |
WR | |
| Halvor Hagen Halvor Hagen Halvor Reini Hagen is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Weber State University and was drafted in the third round of the 1969 NFL Draft.... |
OT | |
| Bob Gladieux | RB | |
| Eric Crabtree Eric Crabtree Eric Leslie Crabtree is a former American football wide receiver in the American Football League and the National Football League. He played seven seasons for the Denver Broncos , the Cincinnati Bengals , and the New England Patriots .- See also :*Other American Football League players... |
WR | |
| Phil Clark | DB | |
| Roland Moss | TE | |
| Houston Antwine Houston Antwine Houston J. Antwine is a former college and professional American football player from Southern Illinois University. He was drafted by the American Football League's Houston Oilers, then traded to the Boston Patriots in 1961. He is in the Southern Illinois University Athletic Hall of Fame... |
DE | |
See also
- New England Patriots seasonsNew England Patriots seasonsThe New England Patriots are an American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They compete in the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference of the National Football League . Originally called the Boston Patriots, the team was founded as one of eight charter members of the...