page_title: History of the New England Patriots
section_title: 2001: First Super Bowl Championship
hierarchical_section_title: History of the New England Patriots / 2000–2020: Brady/Belichick dynasty era / 2001: First Super Bowl Championship
caption_attribution_description: New England Patriots at Washington Redskins 08/28/09
context_page_description: The history of the New England Patriots began when Boston business executive William "Billy" Sullivan and Sullivan Brother Printers, owned by Joseph Sullivan, were awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League on November 16, 1959. The other initial investors in the team were John Ames, Dean Boylan, Dom DiMaggio, Dan Marr, Ed McMann, George Sargent, Paul Sonnabend, and Edgar Turner. Each of the 10 founders invested $30,000 to capitalize the team.
  The following winter, locals submitted thousands of ideas for the Boston football team's official name. On February 20, 1960, Sullivan chose "Boston Patriots", with "Patriots" referring to those colonists of the Thirteen Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution and in July 1776 declared the United States of America an independent nation. "Patriots" as a nickname had been suggested by 74 fans. Immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell developed the "Pat Patriot" logo.
  The Patriots' time in the AFL saw them without a regular home stadium.
context_section_description: Coming off a fifth-place finish in head coach Bill Belichick's first season in 2000, the Patriots were not expected to fare much better in 2001. While Drew Bledsoe was signed to a 10-year contract extension in March, offensive tackle Bruce Armstrong retired, and wide receiver Terry Glenn had a preseason contract holdout and was also hit with a drug suspension by the NFL for the first four games of the season. Despite these high-profile losses, the Patriots were able to find adequate replacements at very low cost. Receivers Troy Brown and David Patten had career seasons, 1st-round draft pick Richard Seymour anchored the defensive line, and Antowain Smith (a free agent signed from Buffalo) ran for over 1,000 yards.
  The season would not begin without tragedy, however. In training camp, quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein died of cardiac arrest on August 6 at the age of 45. The Patriots lost their opener to the Cincinnati Bengals, and in the first post-9/11 game against the Jets, Bledsoe was severely injured, shearing a blood vessel in his chest after being tackled out of bounds by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis.
  In Bledsoe's absence, Tom Brady, a 6th-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, took the helm and won three out of his first four starts, setting an NFL record by not throwing an interception in his first 162 career passes. As a result, Brady earned the confidence of Belichick and his teammates, and when Bledsoe was cleared to play, Belichick announced that Brady would remain the team's starting quarterback. Despite Bledsoe's unhappiness about his new role – he was quoted as saying that he "looked forward to competing to get (his) job back" – he caused no distractions and was supportive of Brady and the Patriots. Led by Brady, who immediately became a fan favorite, the Patriots continued to play good football, winning their final six games to capture the AFC East with an 11–5 record. The Patriots additionally won a first-round bye as the #2 seed in the playoffs for the second time in their history.
  In the final game ever played at Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots hosted the Oakland Raiders in a snowstorm which endured through the entire game. This game became known as the "Tuck Rule Game", when a play originally ruled to be a Brady fumble was reversed by referee Walt Coleman as an incomplete pass based upon the obscure "tuck rule." After review, Coleman ruled that, because Brady's arm was moving forward when he lost the football, he was deemed to have been in the act of throwing when he lost control of the ball. Had the original ruling stood, the Raiders would have essentially clinched the win; instead, the Patriots continued to drive into the frigid wind and heavy snow, and kicker Adam Vinatieri tied the game with a 45-yard field goal in the final 30 seconds. The Raiders did not attempt to run a play at the end of regulation, and after losing the coin toss to start overtime, would not see the ball again, as the Patriots drove downfield on their opening possession and won the game, 16–13.
  The Patriots then went to Pittsburgh to face the favored Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. After Brady injured his ankle in the second quarter, Bledsoe (in his last appearance as a Patriot) came off the sideline and immediately led the team to their only offensive touchdown of the game, with the drive culminating in a touchdown pass to David Patten. In the second half, thanks to help from two special teams touchdowns and two 4th-quarter interceptions of passes thrown by Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart, the Patriots upset the Steelers 24–17 to advance to Super Bowl XXXVI. It would be the Patriots' third Super Bowl in team history, all of which to that point had been played in New Orleans.
  In the Super Bowl, the Patriots faced the heavily favored St. Louis Rams, led by league MVP Kurt Warner and known as "The Greatest Show on Turf", who had beaten the Patriots in the regular season in Foxboro. The Patriots were introduced second, and rather than coming out player-by-player, which was customary at the time, they were introduced collectively as a team. 
caption: Quarterback Tom Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins and nine Super Bowl appearances.
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