The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Patriots play home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Boston. The franchise is owned by Robert Kraft, who purchased the team in 1994. As of 2023, the Patriots are tied for the third-most valuable sports team in the world and have sold out every home game since 1994.
William Stephen Belichick is an American sports analyst and football coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the New England Patriots, along with two more during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, for a record eight combined total Super Bowl victories as coach and coordinator. A renowned American football historian, Belichick is often referred to as a "student of the game" with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of each player position. During his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick was a central figure as the head coach and de facto general manager during the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019.
The East–West Shrine Bowl is a postseason college football all-star game that has been played annually since 1925; through January 2019, it was known as the East–West Shrine Game. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Shriners International, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The game's slogan is "Strong Legs Run That Weak Legs May Walk."
Shannon Sharpe is an American former professional football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Denver Broncos. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he ranks third in tight end receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He was also the first NFL tight end to amass over 10,000 receiving yards. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television broadcaster CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studios 43 and 44 of the CBS Broadcast Center on W 57th Street.
Aaron James Hawk is an American sports analyst and former football linebacker who played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers fifth overall in the 2006 NFL draft and he later won Super Bowl XLV with the team. He was also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he earned All-American honors twice and won the Lombardi Award as a senior. He won the BCS National Championship Game with the Buckeyes as a freshman.
Patrick Carl Shurmur is an American football coach who serves as the offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to joining the staff at Colorado, he most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 2020 to 2021. A 32-year coaching veteran, Shurmur has 21 seasons of NFL experience, including the last 11 years as a head coach or offensive coordinator. Shurmur has four years of experience as a head coach, working in that role with the New York Giants from 2018 to 2019 and with the Cleveland Browns from 2011 to 2012. He also served as interim head coach for Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the 2015 season. He has been an offensive coordinator for seven seasons, previously coaching in that role with the Minnesota Vikings (2016–2017), Philadelphia Eagles (2013–2015) and the St. Louis Rams (2009–2010).
Patrick Justin McAfee is an American sports analyst, color commentator, and former football punter and kickoff specialist. He serves as an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay, is the host of the sports talk show The Pat McAfee Show, and is signed to WWE as a color commentator and occasional wrestler.
Falcon High School is located in Falcon, Colorado, just east of Colorado Springs and was the first high school in Falcon School District 49. The other two high schools in the district, Sand Creek High School, and Vista Ridge High School were formed in 1997 when Falcon High School was split.
Robert James Gronkowski is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played his final two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is a four-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection, and was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Ryan Allen is an American former football punter who played in the National Football League (NFL). He is best known for being the starting punter for the New England Patriots for six seasons, during which he won three Super Bowls and was the Patriots’ longest serving starting punter of the Bill Belichick era. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Allen won twice the Ray Guy Award in 2011 and 2012, and also was a unanimous All-American in 2012. He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent after the 2013 NFL draft.
Jamie Lee Collins Sr. is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. As a member of the Patriots for seven non-consecutive seasons, Collins earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 when he led the league in forced fumbles and also won Super Bowl XLIX. Outside of his New England tenure, he played three seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two with the Detroit Lions.
Trenton Jacoby Brown is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Military College and Florida and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft. Brown has also played for the Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders and the New England Patriots.
Andrew Mitchell Billings is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Baylor and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Patrick Elflein is an American professional football center who is a free agent. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning the Rimington Trophy in 2016. Elflein was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Patrick Joseph O'Connor is an American professional football defensive end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Michigan.
Kalen Ballage is an American professional football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He also played for the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Quenton Meeks is an American football cornerback for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Stanford.
Patrick Frank Surtain II is an American professional football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected ninth overall by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL draft.
Bailey Michael Zappe is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played his first three seasons of college football for the Houston Baptist Huskies and used his last year of eligibility with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, where he set the FBS season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Zappe was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft and mostly served as backup until becoming their primary starter near the end of the 2023 season.
