The Most Memorable Games in Patriots History The Oral History of a Legendary Team

by Corbett, Bernard M.; Baker, Jim

• ISBN13: 9781608190676
• ISBN10: 1608190676
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-08-07
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Summary

On the freezing afternoon of December 12, 1982, the Patriots and Dolphins were deep into the 4th quarter of a snowy scoreless tie. New England, having advanced the ball to the 16 yard line, called timeout as they planned to attempt a 33-yard field goal. At that moment, a John Deere Model 314 tractor came streaking across the field, plowing a swath of grass exactly where kicker John Smith needed to stand. Aided by their freewheeling groundskeeper, the Patriots drove home the game's only points, winning by a 3-0 score. This remains one of the most enduring moments in the team's 50-year history. Its story, along with that of the miraculous 2001 Super Bowl, the perfect regular season of 2007, and many others, is told in this riveting book. Jim Baker and Bernie Corbett take their oral history format to one of the NFL's most successful and popular franchises, giving voices to key Patriot players and showing us the plays, stunts, and negotiations that built a championship team. Baker and Corbett let the players themselves tell the war stories that all New England fans love to relive, and in so doing, construct an engrossing and exciting history of the Patriots.

Author Biography

Jim Baker is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's "Page 2," which receives more than 100,000 hits daily. He is the coauthor of The Most Memorable Games in Giants History, as well as Change Up: An Oral History of 8 Key Events That Shaped Baseball (Rodale, 2008) and has contributed to such popular books as The Bill James Abstract (a New York Times best-seller); The Bill James Historical Abstract (named one of the best baseball books of all-time by Time Magazine); Mind Game: How the Boston Red Sox Got Smart, Won a World Series, and Created a New Blueprint for Winning; and Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders. He was also a regular contributor to the Baseball Prospectus website as well as its annuals. He resides in Austin, Texas, and has spent a lifetime rooting for the football Cardinals. Bernard M. Corbett is the radio voice of Harvard University football and Boston University hockey. He is the author and coauthor of fifteen books, including The Most Memorable Games in Giants History; The Only Game That Matters: The Harvard/Yale Rivalry (Crown/Random House, 2004), as well as The Beanpot: Fifty Years of Thrills, Spills and Chills; On the Ice (with Wayne Gretzky); and On the Court (with Grant Hill). He lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts, and is a lifelong New York Football Giants fan and season-ticket holder.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
Denver Broncos at Boston Patriots: American Football League Inaugural September 9, 1960	p. 1
Boston Patriots at Buffalo Bills: AFL Eastern Division Title Game December 28, 1963	p. 33
Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots October 30, 1966	p. 57
Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots September 19, 1971	p. 82
New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders: Divisional Playoffs December 18, 1976	p. 107
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots December 12, 1982	p. 139
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: American Football Conference Championship January 12, 1986	p. 160
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots: Divisional Playoffs Januarys 5, 1997	p. 191
Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots: Divisional Playoffs January 19, 2002	p. 224
St. Louis Rams vs. New England Patriots: Super Bowl XXXVI February 3, 2002	p. 224
New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers: Super Bowl XXXVIII February 1, 2004	p. 272
New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl XXXIX February 6, 2005	p. 301
New England Patriots at New York Giants: December 29, 2007	p. 326
Acknowledgments	p. 345
The Voices	p. 347
Index	p. 353
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