The 1971 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 2nd season in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
and 12th overall. The 1971 season was the first that the team played as the
New England Patriots, changing their name from the Boston Patriots, briefly to the Bay State Patriots before changing it again to the New England Patriots, in an effort to regionalize the franchise's equal distance from
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
.
The Patriots finished with six wins and eight losses, third place in the
AFC
AFC may stand for:
Organizations
* Action for Children, a UK children's charity
* AFC Enterprises, the franchisor of Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits
* Africa Finance Corporation, a pan-African multilateral development finance institution
* A ...
East Division. It was the first season the Patriots played in the new
Schaefer Stadium in
Foxborough, Massachusetts,
after playing in three different stadiums the previous three seasons in Boston.
During training camp, the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
traded disgruntled running back
Duane Thomas
Duane Julius Thomas (born June 21, 1947) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at West Texas State University.
Early ye ...
to the Patriots for
Carl Garrett
Carl L. Garrett (August 31, 1947 – August 24, 2020) was an American football running back who began his professional career with the American Football League's Boston Patriots.
Carl Garrett caught 29 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns in ...
and
Halvor Hagen
Halvor Reini Hagen (born February 4, 1947) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills. He was drafted in the third round of the 1969 NFL Draft by ...
on July 31.
Thomas became embroiled in a conflict with head coach
John Mazur
John Edward Mazur (June 17, 1930 – November 1, 2013) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He was played college football as a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame. Mazur served as head coach for the New England Patriots ...
,
prompting Patriots general manager
Upton Bell to request that Commissioner
Pete Rozelle void the trade three days after it had been made. Rozelle granted Bell's request, and the traded players returned to where they had been prior to the deal.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Standings
[NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, , p. 297]
References
External links
Pro Football Reference– 1971 New England Patriots
New England Patriots
New England Patriots seasons
New England Patriots
20th century in Foxborough, Massachusetts
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