Vito “Babe” Parilli took a long time to get to Boston after an excellent collegiate career at Kentucky.  Parilli was with the Green Bay Packers for two years, the Ottawa Rough Riders for two, the Cleveland Browns for one, Green Bay again for two, Ottawa back for one, and the Oakland Raiders for one season in 1960, which never saw anything of note. Parilli joined the Boston Patriots in 1961, and it was there where he had his biggest success.

Playing at the University of South Carolina, Tom Addison was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League in 1958, but he never played for either team.  He would sign with the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1960, a club where he would become a leader on and off the field.

It took until the 19^thRound in 1965 before the Boston Patriots before Jim Nance was drafted, and the former two-sport star at Syracuse had to have a chip on his shoulder considering his collegiate accomplishments.

After the Chicago Bears drafted Jim Lee Hunt in the 16^thRound, he elected to sign instead with the Boston Patriots for the inaugural season of the American Football League.  As it would turn out, Hunt would become one of a handful of players to play in all ten years of the league’s existence, all of which were with the Patriots.

After two seasons with the Washington Redskins, Bob Dee left the NFL to join the Boston Patriots for the inaugural season of the American Football League.

We don’t think that we are incorrect in stating that the most versatile player in Patriots history has to be Gino Cappelletti.

While we would not say that Houston Antwine was the greatest Patriot while the franchise was in the AFL, he was undoubtedly in the conversation.

For many younger Patriots fans, the history of the franchise did not begin until Tom Brady took them to their first Super Bowl win in 2001.  Of course, we know that was not the case at all, and we have our first AFL player to look at in Center, Jon Morris.

Nick Buoniconti was lightly regarded by pro scouts despite being the captain of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They viewed him too small, and nobody in the NFL selected him in the 1962 Draft.  The Boston Patriots did, with their 13^thRound Pick, but little was expected of him.  As we know, this wasn’t the case.

A member of the AFL All-Time Team, Jon Morris chose the Boston Patriots over Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers when both teams drafted him in 1964.

This was a bold decision to eschew Lombardi, don't you think?

Choosing the AFL gave Morris more playing time, but the Pats were far from the team they would become years later.  The 1960s Patriots didn't have many eyes on them, but those who did saw that Morris was a very good football player who helped block Jim Nance into two league rushing titles.  He was named an AFL All-Star in his first six years and was a Pro Bowl Selection the year after.  The center was also a First Team All-Pro twice and played 182 Games over his 15-year career.

Houston Antwine eschewed the Detroit Lions of the NFL for the Boston Patriots of the AFL, which seemed the right decision by all accounts. 

Antwine would become an AFL All-Star six years in a row (1963 to 1968) and was one of the few reasons to watch the Patriots in the '60s.  The Defensive Tackle was a First Team All-Pro in 1963 and a four-time Second Team All-Pro.  The All-Time AFL Selection would have 38 “unofficial” Quarterback Sacks over his career, and he deserves to be remembered far more than just in Boston.