# 1961 Boston Patriots season

The 1961 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's second season in the American Football League They finished with nine wins, four losses, and one tie, in second place in the AFL's Eastern Division. This was the first season that the now famous "Pat Patriot" logo appeared on the helmets. The logo itself would see minor updates throughout the years before it was finally retired after the 1992 season, after 32 years.

## Season summary

In the off-season, the team acquired quarterback Babe Parilli from the Oakland Raiders, himself a former starter for the NFL's Green Bay Packers. After a 2–3 start and two consecutive losses, the team fired head coach Lou Saban on the night of Tuesday, October 10, and replaced him with offensive backfield coach Mike Holovak, formerly the head coach at Boston College. The change was a positive one, as the team was 7–1–1 under Holovak and finished on a four-game winning streak, capped with a road shutout of the Western Division champion San Diego Chargers in the season finale, the team which scored 38 points on them in Boston in Saban's last game.
The Patriots' 9–4–1 record put them in second place in the Eastern Division, one game behind Houston; the Oilers went on to win the league championship with a 10–3 win over the Chargers. This was the first season in which Boston used their "Pat the Patriot" logo on their helmets.

## Draft picks

| Round | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | Tommy MasonTommy Mason | Half back | Tulane |
| 2 | Rip HawkinsRip Hawkins | Center | North Carolina |
| 3 | Danny LaRoseDanny LaRose | Tight end | Missouri |
| 4 | Mike ZenoMike Zeno | Guard | Virginia Tech |
| 5 | Fran TarkentonFran Tarkenton | Quarterback | Georgia |
| 6 | Larry EisenhauerLarry Eisenhauer $^1$ | Tackle | Boston College |
| 7 | Paul TerhesPaul Terhes | Quarterback | Bucknell |
| 8 | Charles LongCharles Long $^1$ | Guard | Tennessee-Chattanooga |
| 9 | Roland LakesRoland Lakes | Center | Wichita |
| 10 | Richard MuellerRichard Mueller | Offensive end | Kentucky |
| 11 | Mel WestMel West | Center | Missouri |
| 12 | Wayne HarrisWayne Harris | Center | Arkansas |
| 13 | Dan UnderwoodDan Underwood | Tackle | McNeese State |
| 14 | James WrightJames Wright | Quarterback | Memphis State |
| 16 | George BalthazarGeorge Balthazar | Tackle | Tennessee A&I |
| 17 | Ray RatkowskiRay Ratkowski | Halfback | Notre Dame |
| 18 | Tom RodgersTom Rodgers | Halfback | Kentucky |
| 19 | Joe BellinoJoe Bellino | Halfback | Navy |
| 20 | Clarence ChildsClarence Childs | Halfback | Florida A&M |
| 21 | Don OakesDon Oakes | Guard | Virginia Tech |
| 22 | Bob JohnsonBob Johnson | Offensive end | Michigan |
| 23 | Darrell DeDeckerDarrell DeDecker | Center | Illinois |
| 24 | Don WebbDon Webb | Halfback | Iowa State |
| 25 | Bob MinihaneBob Minihane | Tackle | Boston |
| 26 | Charley GrangerCharley Granger | Tackle | Southern |
| 27 | Terry HuxholdTerry Huxhold | Tackle | Wisconsin |
| 28 | Bryant HarvardBryant Harvard | Quarterback | Auburn |
| 29 | Ernie McMillanErnie McMillan | Tackle | Illinois |
| 30 | George HultzGeorge Hultz | Tackle | Mississippi Southern |

## Schedule
### Regular season

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 9 | New York Titans | L 20–21 | 0–1 | Boston University Field | 16,683 | Recap |
| 2 | September 16 | Denver Broncos | W 45–17 | 1–1 | Boston University Field | 14,479 | Recap |
| 3 | September 23 | at Buffalo Bills | W 23–21 | 2–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 21,504 | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | at New York Titans | L 30–37 | 2–2 | Polo Grounds | 15,189 | Recap |
| 5 | October 7 | San Diego Chargers | L 27–38 | 2–3 | Boston University Field | 17,748 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | Houston Oilers | T 31–31 | 2–3–1 | Boston University Field | 15,070 | Recap |
| 7 | October 22 | Buffalo Bills | W 52–21 | 3–3–1 | Boston University Field | 9,398 | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | at Dallas Texans | W 18–17 | 4–3–1 | Cotton Bowl | 20,500 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | Dallas Texans | W 28–21 | 5–3–1 | Boston University Field | 25,063 | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | at Houston Oilers | L 15–27 | 5–4–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 35,649 | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | Oakland Raiders | W 20–17 | 6–4–1 | Boston University Field | 17,169 | Recap |
| 12 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 13 | December 3 | at Denver Broncos | W 28–24 | 7–4–1 | Bears Stadium | 9,303 | Recap |
| 14 | December 9 | at Oakland Raiders | W 35–21 | 8–4–1 | Candlestick Park | 6,500 | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | at San Diego Chargers | W 41–0 | 9–4–1 | Balboa Stadium | 21,339 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

## Standings

AFL Eastern Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| Houston Oilers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 4–1–1 | 513 | 242 | W9 |
| Boston Patriots | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 2–3–1 | 413 | 313 | W4 |
| New York Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 301 | 390 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 294 | 342 | L1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

## Roster

All of the following players appeared in at least one game for the 1961 Boston Patriots.
| Name | Position | Notes |
| Tom Addison | LB | |
| Houston Antwine | DT | Rookie |
| Walter Beach | DB/RB | |
| Fred Bruney | DB | |
| Ron Burton | HB | |
| Gino Cappelletti | WR/K/DB | Number 20 retired by the Patriots |
| Jim Colclough | WR | |
| Jim Crawford | FB/HB | |
| Walt Cudzik | C/LB | |
| Bob Dee | DE/DT | Number 89 retired by the Patriots |
| Jerry DeLucca | T/DT | |
| Larry Eisenhauer | DE | Rookie |
| Larry Garron | HB | |
| Milt Graham | T/DT | Rookie |
| Ron Hall | DB | |
| Jim Hunt | DT/DE | Number 79 retired by the Patriots |
| Harry Jacobs | LB/DE | |
| Harry Jagielski | DT/T | |
| Joe Johnson | HB/E/WR | |
| Bill Kimber | E | |
| Dick Klein | T | |
| Chuck Leo | G | |
| Paul Lindquist | DT | Rookie |
| Ray Lardani | T | Rookie |
| Charlie Long | T/G | Rookie |
| Billy Lott | FB | |
| Rommie Loudd | LB | |
| Leroy Moore | DE | |
| Ross O'Hanley | DB | |
| Babe Parilli | QB | |
| Willis Perkins | DE/G | Rookie |
| Ray Ratkowski | HB | Rookie |
| Frank Robotti | LB | Rookie |
| Al Romine | DB/HB | |
| Tony Sardisco | G/LB | |
| Gerard Swedes | HB | |
| Chuck Shonta | DB | |
| John Simmerson | C | |
| Bob Soltis | DB | |
| Butch Songin | QB | |
| Thomas Stephens | TE/DB | |
| Paper Towns | DB | |
| Clyde Washington | DB/P | |
| Don Webb | DB | Rookie |
| Rob Yates | T/C | Rookie |
| Tom Yewcic | QB/P/HB | Rookie |
    Players new to the team in 1961 are in bold.