Sullivan Named to Patriots Hall of Fame

Current Patriots owner Robert Kraft is now the face of the New England football dynasty, but before his team really took off with the help of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, it was owned by the late Billy Sullivan, the original owner of the New England Patriots. Kraft recently acknowledged the accomplishments of Sullivan’s romp with the Patriots, giving him high honors by naming him to the Patriots Hall of Fame. Billy Sullivan will enter the Hall of Fame as a contributor to the team, and will be the first one in the books doing so. He will join 13 former players in the hall, being inducted several years after he was awarded the rights to the eighth franchise of the American Football League.

Sullivan got the rights to the Boston Patriots in 1959 and watched them go from stadium to stadium, eventually changing names to the New England Patriots in 1971 with a move to Schaefer Stadium, which would eventually become Sullivan Stadium in his honor. Pats current owner Robert Kraft made a statement recently discussing Sullivan’s importance to the franchise, saying that without his help, “the Patriots would not exist.” Billy Sullivan passed away in 1998, but his legacy will now live on with his induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

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