| 1970 Boston Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billy Sullivan |
| General manager | George Sauer |
| Head coach | Clive Rush (quit, medical reasons; 1–6) John Mazur (interim, 1–6) |
| Home stadium | Harvard Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–12 |
| Division place | 5thAFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | CJon Morris |
| All-Pros | None |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The1970 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's first season in theNational Football League and eleventh overall. They ended theseason with a record of two wins and twelve losses, fifth (last) in theAFCEast Division.
This was the final season as the “Boston” Patriots, as they moved southwest toFoxborough, Massachusetts thenext season and became the “New England” Patriots. The final season as Boston did not go as planned, as the Patriots struggled all season and finished 2–12, the worstrecord in the NFL. Home games in 1970 were played atHarvard Stadium, their fourth home venue and third in as many seasons.
After taking the season opener at home from theMiami Dolphins, Boston lost nine in a row before beating theBuffalo Bills on the road. The season concluded with an embarrassing 45–7 loss to theBengals in Cincinnati.
Head coachClive Rush, age 39, quit midway through the season because of medical reasons, with Boston's record at 1–6.[1][2][3] His replacement, offensive backfield coachJohn Mazur, did not do much better of a job, but he continued as head coach the next season. The Patriots scored the fewest points in the league in1970 with 149, and allowed 361; they missed theplayoffs for the seventh straight season.
Despite being aSuper Bowl quarterback, no NFL team made contact with 32-year-oldJoe Kapp until after the start of the regular season.[4] Prior to the1969 season, theMinnesota Vikings had exercised the option clause of his contract, so Kapp had played the entire season without a new contract. It was unusual for teams to use the team's option and not to offer a new contract prior to a season. This dispute made him afree agent for the 1970 season, by the NFL's own rules. The Patriots signed him on October 2 to a four-year contract,[5][6][7] making him the highest paid player in the league. The Patriots had to give up strong safetyJohn Charles and a first-round draft pick in1972 (used to selectStanford linebackerJeff Siemon).[8] Kapp's first appearance was on October 11 atKansas City, relieving starterMike Taliaferro in the third quarter of a 23–10 loss to the team which manhandled Kapp and the Vikings in the Super Bowl nine months prior.[9][10]
November losses vs. theBuffalo Bills (45–10) andSt. Louis Cardinals (31–0) marked the last time the Patriots were beaten by 30 or more points in consecutive games until2023.
The Vikings paid Kapp back in full in week 13, rolling to a 35–14 victory in the Patriots' final game at Harvard and in Boston prior to the move to Foxborough.[11]
The Patriots' poor record was the worst in the26-team league, but gave them the first overall selection in the1971 NFL draft. They took quarterbackJim Plunkett, theHeisman Trophywinner fromStanford, upset winner of theRose Bowl.
| 1970 Boston Patriots draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Phil Olsen | Defensive tackle | Utah State | Injured prior to the season |
| 3 | 56 | Mike Ballou | Linebacker | UCLA | |
| 4 | 83 | Eddie Ray | Running back | LSU | |
| 5 | 107 | Bob Olson | Linebacker | Notre Dame | |
| 7 | 160 | Odell Lawson | Running back | Langston | |
| 9 | 212 | Dennis Wirgowski | Defensive end | Purdue | |
| 10 | 239 | Henry Brown | Wide receiver | Missouri | |
| 11 | 264 | Dennis Bramlett | Tackle | UTEP | |
| 12 | 291 | Greg Roero | Defensive tackle | New Mexico Highlands | |
| 13 | 316 | Ronnie Shelley | Defensive back | Troy State | |
| 14 | 343 | Garvie Craw | Running back | Michigan | |
| 15 | 368 | Kent Schoolfield | Wide receiver | Florida A&M | |
| 16 | 395 | Otis McDaniel | Defensive end | Tuskegee | |
| 17 | 420 | Joe Killingsworth | Wide receiver | Oklahoma | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 20 | Miami Dolphins | W 27–14 | 1–0 | Harvard Stadium | 32,607 | Recap |
| 2 | September 27 | New York Jets | L 21–31 | 1–1 | Harvard Stadium | 36,040 | Recap |
| 3 | October 4 | Baltimore Colts | L 6–14 | 1–2 | Harvard Stadium | 38,235 | Recap |
| 4 | October 11 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 10–23 | 1–3 | Municipal Stadium | 50,698 | Recap |
| 5 | October 18 | New York Giants | L 0–16 | 1–4 | Harvard Stadium | 39,091 | Recap |
| 6 | October 25 | atBaltimore Colts | L 3–27 | 1–5 | Memorial Stadium | 60,240 | Recap |
| 7 | November 1 | Buffalo Bills | L 10–45 | 1–6 | Harvard Stadium | 31,148 | Recap |
| 8 | November 8 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L 0–31 | 1–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,466 | Recap |
| 9 | November 15 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–16 | 1–8 | Harvard Stadium | 30,597 | Recap |
| 10 | November 22 | atNew York Jets | L 3–17 | 1–9 | Shea Stadium | 61,822 | Recap |
| 11 | November 29 | atBuffalo Bills | W 14–10 | 2–9 | War Memorial Stadium | 31,427 | Recap |
| 12 | December 6 | atMiami Dolphins | L 20–37 | 2–10 | Miami Orange Bowl | 51,032 | Recap |
| 13 | December 13 | Minnesota Vikings | L 14–35 | 2–11 | Harvard Stadium | 37,819 | Recap |
| 14 | December 20 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 7–45 | 2–12 | Riverfront Stadium | 60,157 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Baltimore Colts | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–1–1 | 8–2–1 | 321 | 234 | W4 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 297 | 228 | W6 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 255 | 286 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 3–4–1 | 3–7–1 | 204 | 337 | L5 |
| Boston Patriots | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 149 | 361 | L3 |
