The Boston Patriots required a rebranding in 1970, when the NFL was still in its infancy.
The modern-day New England Patriots would emerge eventually, but only after the franchise was given an unpleasant nickname.
The Patriots had spent their first decade in the American Football League.
When the American Football League combined with the National Football League in 1970, the team relocated 20 miles east to Foxborough.
After bouncing around different stadium venues since its inception in 1959, the squad lacked a home.
Along with the transfer, Patriots owner Billy Sullivan wanted to rebrand the team to reflect a more regional flavor.
He chose the name Bay State Patriots to honor the state of Massachusetts.
In February 1971, the name change was officially filed to the NFL.
Unfortunately for both the team and Sullivan, the NFL rejected the name outright.
While sports writers and fans were amused by the team’s unintentional new abbreviation, BS Patriots.
Former Patriots general manager Upton Bell told Pats Pulpit, “The first day I came here for my press conference, I picked up one of the papers, and right there on the front page it said, ‘BS Patriots to hire Bell.'”
“Every writer in town was having a fantastic time. The Patriots are the Bulls”
Sullivan and the board were compelled to abandon the rebrand and restart from scratch.
They eventually decided on a new name.
Bell went on, “So one of my first moves was to ask Billy if we could change the name to the ‘New England’ Patriots.”
Since its inception in the NFL in 1971, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls, the most recent in 2002.
New England has appeared in 27 playoff games, one of which occurred prior to the AFL/NFL merger.