The 1970 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's first season in the National Football League and eleventh overall. They ended the season with a record of two wins and twelve losses, fifth (last) in the AFC East Division.
| 1970 Boston Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billy Sullivan |
| General manager | George Sauer |
| Head coach | Clive Rush (quit, medical reasons; 1–6) John Mazur (interim, 1–6) |
| Home field | Harvard Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–12 |
| Division place | 5th AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | C Jon Morris |
| AP All-Pros | None |
| Uniform | |
 | |
This was the final season as the “Boston” Patriots, as they moved southwest to Foxborough, Massachusetts the next season and became the “New England” Patriots. The final season as Boston did not go as planned, as the Patriots struggled all season and finished 2–12, the worst record in the NFL. Home games in 1970 were played at Harvard Stadium, their fourth home venue and third in as many seasons.
After taking the season opener at home from the Miami Dolphins, Boston lost nine in a row before beating the Buffalo Bills on the road. The season concluded with an embarrassing 45–7 loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Head coach Clive Rush, age 39, quit midway through the season because of medical reasons, with Boston's record at 1–6.[1][2][3] His replacement, offensive backfield coach John Mazur, did not do much better of a job, but he continued as head coach the next season. The Patriots scored the fewest points in the league in 1970 with 149, and allowed 361; they missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
Despite being a Super Bowl quarterback, no NFL team made contact with 32-year-old Joe Kapp until after the start of the regular season.[4] Prior to the 1969 season, the Minnesota Vikings had exercised the option clause of his contract, so Kapp had played the entire season without a new contract. It was unusual for teams to use the team's option and not to offer a new contract prior to a season. This dispute made him a free agent for the 1970 season, by the NFL's own rules. The Patriots signed him on October 2 to a four-year contract,[5][6][7] making him the highest paid player in the league. The Patriots had to give up strong safety John Charles and a first-round draft pick in 1972 (used to select Stanford linebacker Jeff Siemon).[8] Kapp's first appearance was on October 11 at Kansas City, relieving starter Mike Taliaferro in the third quarter of a 23–10 loss to the team which manhandled Kapp and the Vikings in the Super Bowl nine months prior.[9][10]
November losses vs. the Buffalo Bills (45–10) and St. Louis Cardinals (31–0) marked the last time the Patriots were beaten by 30 or more points in consecutive games until 2023.
The Vikings paid Kapp back in full in week 13, rolling to a 35–14 victory in the Patriots' final game at Harvard and in Boston prior to the move to Foxborough.[11]
The Patriots' poor record was the worst in the 26-team league, but gave them the first overall selection in the 1971 NFL draft. They took quarterback Jim Plunkett, the Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford, upset winner of the Rose Bowl.
Offseason
editNFL draft
edit| 1970 Boston Patriots draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Phil Olsen | Defensive tackle | Utah State | Injured prior to the season |
| 3 | 56 | Mike Ballou | Linebacker | UCLA | |
| 4 | 83 | Eddie Ray | Running back | LSU | |
| 5 | 107 | Bob Olson | Linebacker | Notre Dame | |
| 7 | 160 | Odell Lawson | Running back | Langston | |
| 9 | 212 | Dennis Wirgowski | Defensive end | Purdue | |
| 10 | 239 | Henry Brown | Wide receiver | Missouri | |
| 11 | 264 | Dennis Bramlett | Tackle | UTEP | |
| 12 | 291 | Greg Roero | Defensive tackle | New Mexico Highlands | |
| 13 | 316 | Ronnie Shelley | Defensive back | Troy State | |
| 14 | 343 | Garvie Craw | Running back | Michigan | |
| 15 | 368 | Kent Schoolfield | Wide receiver | Florida A&M | |
| 16 | 395 | Otis McDaniel | Defensive end | Tuskegee | |
| 17 | 420 | Joe Killingsworth | Wide receiver | Oklahoma | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Staff
edit|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
- Source:
Roster
editQuarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
Reserve
|
- Source:
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 20 | Miami Dolphins | W 27–14 | 1–0 | Harvard Stadium | 32,607 | Recap |
| 2 | September 27 | New York Jets | L 21–31 | 1–1 | Harvard Stadium | 36,040 | Recap |
| 3 | October 4 | Baltimore Colts | L 6–14 | 1–2 | Harvard Stadium | 38,235 | Recap |
| 4 | October 11 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–23 | 1–3 | Municipal Stadium | 50,698 | Recap |
| 5 | October 18 | New York Giants | L 0–16 | 1–4 | Harvard Stadium | 39,091 | Recap |
| 6 | October 25 | at Baltimore Colts | L 3–27 | 1–5 | Memorial Stadium | 60,240 | Recap |
| 7 | November 1 | Buffalo Bills | L 10–45 | 1–6 | Harvard Stadium | 31,148 | Recap |
| 8 | November 8 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 0–31 | 1–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,466 | Recap |
| 9 | November 15 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–16 | 1–8 | Harvard Stadium | 30,597 | Recap |
| 10 | November 22 | at New York Jets | L 3–17 | 1–9 | Shea Stadium | 61,822 | Recap |
| 11 | November 29 | at Buffalo Bills | W 14–10 | 2–9 | War Memorial Stadium | 31,427 | Recap |
| 12 | December 6 | at Miami Dolphins | L 20–37 | 2–10 | Miami Orange Bowl | 51,032 | Recap |
| 13 | December 13 | Minnesota Vikings | L 14–35 | 2–11 | Harvard Stadium | 37,819 | Recap |
| 14 | December 20 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 7–45 | 2–12 | Riverfront Stadium | 60,157 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
edit| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Baltimore Colts | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–1–1 | 8–2–1 | 321 | 234 | W4 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 297 | 228 | W6 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 255 | 286 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 3–4–1 | 3–7–1 | 204 | 337 | L5 |
| Boston Patriots | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 149 | 361 | L3 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
edit- ^ "Rush quits as Pats coach". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). Associated Press. November 4, 1970. p. 17.
- ^ "Patriots select Mazur". Nashua Telegraph. (New Hampshire). Associated Press. November 4, 1970. p. 38.
- ^ "Coach clarifies release; hands team resignation". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. November 4, 1970. p. 11.
- ^ "Ex-player sees move to cool off Joe Kapp". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 1, 1970. p. 19.
- ^ "Patriots obtain Joe Kapp; terms being worked out". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 2, 1970. p. 3B.
- ^ "Patriots sign Kapp". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. October 2, 1970. p. 7.
- ^ "Kapp says 'We'll be a winner' after signing with Patriots". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 3, 1970. p. 10.
- ^ "Kapp predicts Patriots are going to be winners". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. October 3, 1970. p. 20.
- ^ "Chiefs still bother Kapp; Patriots shattered, 23-10". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. October 12, 1970. p. 15.
- ^ "Kansas City stops Boston Pats, 23-10". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 12, 1970. p. 8.
- ^ O'Hara, Dave (December 14, 1970). "Student beats master in Vikings-Pats game". The Day. (New Haven, Connecticut). Associated Press. p. 28.
- ^ "1970 Boston Patriots Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2022.