New England Patriots

General informationFoundedNovember 16, 1959 (November 16, 1959)StadiumGillette Stadium
Foxborough, MassachusettsHeadquarteredGillette Stadium
Foxborough, MassachusettsColorsNautical blue, red, new century silver, white
Fight songsMascotPat PatriotWebsitepatriots.comPersonnelOwnersKraft Group
Robert Kraft, ChairmanCEORobert KraftGeneral managerEliot WolfHead coachMike VrabelPresidentJonathan KraftNicknames

• The Pats
• Grogan's Heroes (1976)
• The Evil Empire
• The Boston TE Party (tight ends; 2010–2012)
• The Boogeymen (Linebackers; 2019)

Team historyHome fields

• Boston University Field (1960–1962)
• Fenway Park (1963–1968)
• Alumni Stadium (1969)
• Harvard Stadium (1970)
• Foxboro Stadium (1971–2001)
• Gillette Stadium (2002–present)

League / conference affiliationsAmerican Football League (1960–1969)

• Eastern Division (1960–1969)
  

National Football League (1970–present)

• American Football Conference (1970–present)
  • AFC East (1970–present)

Championships

• Super Bowl championships: 6
  2001 (XXXVI), 2003 (XXXVIII), 2004 (XXXIX), 2014 (XLIX), 2016 (LI), 2018 (LIII)

Conference championships: 12

• AFC:1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2025

Division championships: 23

• AFL East:1963
• AFC East:1978, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2025

Playoff appearances (29)

• AFL:1963
• NFL:1976, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2025

Owners

• Billy Sullivan (1959–1988)
• Victor Kiam (1988–1992)
• James Orthwein (1992–1994)
• Robert Kraft (1994–present)

The New England Patriots (colloquially known as the Pats) are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Boston. The franchise is owned by Robert Kraft, who purchased the team in 1994. As of 2025, the Patriots are the seventh-most valuable sports team in the world and have sold out every home game since 1994.

Founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots, the team was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) before joining the NFL in 1970 through the AFL–NFL merger. The Patriots played their home games at various stadiums throughout Boston, including Fenway Park from 1963 to 1968, until the franchise moved to Foxborough in 1971. As part of the move, the team changed its name to the New England Patriots. Home games were played at Foxboro Stadium until 2002 when the stadium was demolished alongside the opening of Gillette Stadium. The team began using Gillette Stadium for home games the same year.

Generally mediocre until coming under the ownership of Robert Kraft, the Patriots experienced unexpected success in the 2001 season under head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, which started a period of dominance which lasted until the 2019 season. The Brady–Belichick era, regarded as one of the greatest sports dynasties, would see the Patriots claim nearly every major Super Bowl record. The Patriots hold the records for most Super Bowl wins (6, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers), appearances (12), and losses (6). Other NFL records held by the franchise include the most wins in a 10-year period (126 from 2003 to 2012), the longest winning streak of regular season and playoff games (21 from October 2003 to October 2004), the most consecutive winning seasons (19 from 2001 to 2019), the most consecutive conference championship appearances (8 from 2011 to 2018), the most consecutive division titles (11 from 2009 to 2019), the only undefeated 16-game regular season (2007), the most postseason wins (40, tied with the San Francisco 49ers), and the highest postseason winning percentage (.638).