The 1963 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's 4th season in the American Football League.
| 1963 Boston Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billy Sullivan |
| Head coach | Mike Holovak |
| Home field | Fenway Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–6–1 |
| Division place | 1st AFL Eastern (playoff) |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (at Bills) 26–8 Lost AFL Championship (at Chargers) 10–51 |
| AFL All-Stars | LB Tom Addison DT Houston Antwine LB Nick Buoniconti WR/K Gino Cappelletti DE Bob Dee DE Larry Eisenhauer RB Larry Garron DB Ron Hall G Charlie Long G Billy Neighbors QB Babe Parilli |
| Uniform | |
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In their first season at Fenway Park, switching from Nickerson Field, the Patriots hovered around the .500 mark all season, and were in position to win the Eastern Division title outright with a victory on their final game.[1] The 35–3 road loss to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs allowed the Buffalo Bills catch up and both finished at 7–6–1, which required a divisional playoff game, the AFL's first.[2][3] Both teams had a bye the following week, postponed from the Sunday after the assassination of President Kennedy; the tiebreaker playoff was scheduled for Saturday, December 28, at Buffalo's War Memorial Stadium. The teams split their two games during the regular season, with the home team winning, and the host Bills were slight favorites.[3]
The visiting Patriots won the playoff game 26–8 on a snowy field, with quarterback Babe Parilli throwing two touchdown passes to fullback Larry Garron, and four field goals were added by end Gino Cappelletti.[4][5] With the win, Boston became Eastern Division champions, while the Western champion San Diego Chargers (11–3) were idle. The AFL championship game was played the next week in southern California on January 5, where San Diego routed the Patriots 51–10 at Balboa Stadium.[6][7][8][9]
This was Boston's only postseason appearance during the AFL's ten years; the Patriots' next playoff game was in 1976 (as a wild card) and the next division title came in 1978.
AFL draft
editStaff
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster
edit| Boston Patriots 1963 roster | ||||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
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Schedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | New York Jets | W 38–14 | 1–0 | Alumni Stadium | 24,120 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 14 | at San Diego Chargers | L 13–17 | 1–1 | Balboa Stadium | 26,097 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 22 | at Oakland Raiders | W 20–14 | 2–1 | Frank Youell Field | 17,131 | Recap | |
| 4 | September 29 | at Denver Broncos | L 10–14 | 2–2 | Bears Stadium | 18,636 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 5 | at New York Jets | L 24–31 | 2–3 | Polo Grounds | 16,769 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 11 | Oakland Raiders | W 20–14 | 3–3 | Fenway Park | 26,494 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 18 | Denver Broncos | W 40–21 | 4–3 | Fenway Park | 25,418 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 26 | at Buffalo Bills | L 21–28 | 4–4 | War Memorial Stadium | 29,243 | Recap | |
| 9 | November 1 | Houston Oilers | W 45–3 | 5–4 | Fenway Park | 31,185 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 10 | San Diego Chargers | L 6–7 | 5–5 | Fenway Park | 28,402 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | T 24–24 | 5–5–1 | Fenway Park | 17,200 | Recap | |
| November 24 | AFL games postponed to December 22 | |||||||
| 12 | December 1 | Buffalo Bills | W 17–7 | 6–5–1 | Fenway Park | 16,981 | Recap | |
| 13 | December 7 | at Houston Oilers | W 46–28 | 7–5–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 23,462 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 14 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 3–35 | 7–6–1 | Municipal Stadium | 12,598 | Recap | |
| 15 | December 22 | Bye week, (originally December 1) | ||||||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
Standings
edit| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Boston Patriots | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 4–2 | 327 | 257 | L1 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 3–3 | 304 | 291 | W2 | |
| Houston Oilers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–3 | 302 | 372 | L4 | |
| New York Jets | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 2–4 | 249 | 399 | L3 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
Postseason
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Game recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | December 28 | at Buffalo Bills | W 26–8 | War Memorial Stadium | 33,044 | Recap |
| Championship | January 5, 1964 | at San Diego Chargers | L 10–51 | Balboa Stadium | 30,127 | Recap |
References
edit- ^ "Hopeful Packers, Patriots open pro grid weekend". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 14, 1963. p. 11.
- ^ "AFL has title tie, may get another". Milwaukee Journal. UPI. December 16, 1963. p. 17, part 2.
- ^ a b "Bills, Patriots play for title". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. December 28, 1963. p. 7.
- ^ "Boston beats Bills for division crown". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. December 29, 1963. p. 1, sports.
- ^ "Parilli passes Patriots past Buffalo, 26-8". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. December 29, 1963. p. 1, section 4.
- ^ "Chargers roll over Boston in AFL final". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 6, 1964. p. 27.
- ^ "Chargers rout Boston, 51-10; compared with NFL teams". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 11, part 2.
- ^ "Are Chargers good enough for NFL opponents?". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 3B.
- ^ "Charger win Lincolnesque; Palouse Moose gains 349". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 12.
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