My favorite memory? There are too many memories from which to choose. Was it my first pro game at Boston University Field? Our wonderful seats at Fenway Park? The wooden benches at Boston College? Traffic for the first game as the New England Patriots in the first game at Schaefer Stadium? Meeting John Unitas after a preseason game? Gino Cappelletti catching touchdowns and then kicking the extra points? A night game at Fenway Park against the Raiders? A rain storm at B.C. that put two inches of water onto the field and provided the stage for an impromptu fan halftime show? Nope!
Nothing compares to sitting in Harvard Stadium the day after a typical New England snowstorm; learning that it was too cold for Patriots quarterback Joe Kapp, who threw three interceptions in a 35-14 loss in 1970. He had played for the opponent – the Vikings in freezing Minnesota as well as in the Canadian Football League. Too cold? Not for the fans! Bring on that sorry excuse of “Mother Nature.” True Patriot fans were there to support their beloved Patriots, the Boston Patriots!
*Editor’s Note… we did not confirm the reader’s account that Joe Kapp expressed concern about the cold nor we do validate its accuracy. But we appreciate his list of memories and his own willingness to sit in the arctic weather at Harvard Stadium that afternoon against the Vikings the day after a snow storm. We were able to confirm the weather. For the record, Kapp completed 15 of 29 passes for 128 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the Patriots first ever meeting with the Vikings on Dec. 13, 1970 in the final home game as the Boston Patriots. The team was renamed the New England Patriots upon moving Foxborough for the 1971 season.
Do you have a Patriots Memory you want to share? Submit your memory below and you could be featured in our exhibit!
