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.
Staff
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
Schedule
Regular season
Standings
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 Singin | 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 |
General references
- . For game-by-game results
- . For team roster
- . For season summary
Footnoted references