The Boston Patriots, owned by Billy Sullivan Jr. , a Boston businessman with a strong sports background, were among eight teams in the inaugural season of the renegade American Football League.

It was the fourth attempt at a Professional Football team in Boston, following the Boston Bulldogs , Boston Redskins , and Boston Yanks . With a roster full of misfits and NFL castoffs, the Patriots were involved in two significant firsts for the new league.

On July 30th, the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in the first AFL pre-season game. Then, on September 9th, a crowd of 21,597 at Nickerson Field (the stadium was previously known as Braves Field) witnessed the Patriots lose 13-10 to the Denver Broncos in the first official AFL game.

The Pats would get their first win a week later in New York against the Titans. They would finish with a 5-9 record that saw them finish last among the four teams in the Eastern Division.