Sports cartoonist celebrates ‘Pat Patriot’ 50th anniversary

Former sports cartoonist Phil Bissell, who created the original New England Patriots logo “Pat Patriot” in 1960, is featured and recounts the history behind the creation of the football team mascot.

13 thoughts on “Sports cartoonist celebrates ‘Pat Patriot’ 50th anniversary

  1. Think ‘Pat Patriot’ would hide in the bushes with a Handycam?

    Seriously, though his design is a classier, more timeless one than that idiotic ‘Flying Elvis’ thing the Patsies wear now – a silly thing for a football team to wear.

    Hmm…football? Sounds like trouble!
    Which starts with “T”, and that rhymes with “B” which stands for “Bissell!”
    Which rhymes with “missile!”

    which is exactly what is going to hit ‘The Lady Tom Brady’ this year! An aqua & orange missile called the Dolphins!!

    Yeeeaahhh!
    GO MIAMI!!

    (Sincere apologies to Robert Preston)

  2. Hey, in fairness I said nice things about the original logo. Even if the team cheats.

    Anyway, I figured most leftys would support the ‘Fins, with their eco-minded, animal loving world view they’re a shoe-in to support such smart, friendly sea mammals.

    Dolphins fan, baby!
    17-0! Undefeated season! Shula! Greise! Csonka! Marino!
    I love dolphins!

    Especially in tuna…

  3. “Dolphins fan, baby!
    17-0! Undefeated season!”

    You do realize that was 37 YEARS ago, don’t you, Shane? What have they done since then? A lot of the people here weren’t even born yet. And Marino? Please. I was at the Super Bowl when Marino had his one and only appearance for his entire career. He and the Dolphins were like a junior varsity against the 49ers.

  4. Hey, I remember. Griese was a Purdue Quarterback too! But yeah … close to a 0-17 season a few years ago. Never been a Pats fan, but very cool story on the cartoonist!

    Wiley, BTW – since I can’t figure out any other way to send you kudos … I always like you stuff, but I just wanted to say that the last month of single panels have been top-notch in my book. Great stuff!

    Worst pro football mascot (arguably, of course) … the Browns.

  5. Wiley,
    Blame the organization for Marino never getting the running game or defense he deserved. And frankly, most any team in the league would have looked that way against those guys. But you can’t deny the amazing career he had – he was truly gifted and one of the best ever.

    And true, we have stunk like old fish of late. The sad thing is a good owner (Bob Craft, Dan Rooney) can do wonders for a team, while a naive dilettante(Wayne Huizenga!) can bring in doofus after doofus (Dave Wannstedt& Nick Saban jumo out) relegating the team to mediocrity for decades. At least we GOT to 2 Super Bowls in the 1980’s, which was more than most teams did.

    Don’t be a hater, man.
    Who could hate the fish?

  6. “Worst pro football mascot (arguably, of course) â?¦ the Browns.”

    Oh, I dunno. I kind of think their retro old school uni’s are cool.

    You want bad? What about the Ravens? Or the Titans? Or the Bengals? Or the worst of all, even though they are college, the Oregon Ducks! Ick!

  7. Browns mascot is a color. Oilers are pretty lame too. 😉 However, my bears just have “C” … what’s up with that!

    Time to update them all … Raiders – Darth Vader, SF … well, Pats … binoculars, … more cartoonists should be employed to give pro NFL teams a mascot!

  8. “But you canâ??t deny the amazing career he had â?? he was truly gifted and one of the best ever.”

    I know. I was just yankin’ your chain, as though we were in a sports bar. I was fortunate to be living in the Bay Area during those great 49er years in the 80’s and early 90’s, and now fortunate to be living in New England during these great Patriot years.

    And I’m always glad to NOT be living in Florida.

  9. Wiley,
    Glad we didn’t start throwning stats at each other, you know, Mark Twain’s third type of lie.

    And I’ll fully expect to hear from you after the Miami/New England games this year – for bad or worse.

    And BTW, since you seem to sprinkle victory dust on those teams with which you share residence, may I respectfully ask that you NEVER EVER EVER move to Dallas, Oakland, Buffalo, Baltimore or New York (don’t give a flip about the Giants or Jets, that just in case your mojo hops over to baseball teams (the Yankees are the spawn of the unholy one).

    Thanks ahead of time.

  10. “may I respectfully ask that you NEVER EVER EVER move to Dallas, Oakland, Buffalo, Baltimore or New York”

    Not a friggin’ chance in hell with any of those, Shane!
    By the way, did you grow up in Florida? It’s so odd to see someone who lives in Texas that hates the Cowboys.

    While we’re on the fun subject of football, check out this article. Absolutely amazing.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203887.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

  11. That story about the Redskins fan is the worst thing I’ve heard in awhile. I hope the bad publicity causes the team to drop the suit. Washington is probably worth 1.5 billion – why destroy a lifelong fan over $60K? Geez…like anyone needed another reason to hate Dan Snyder.

    As for me being a Miami fan, I grew up in Amarillo, Texas. There were 24 radio stations (all country & western), every car was a pickup and EVERY single shirt, hat and bumper sticker said the same thing “DALLAS COWBOYS” and had that damned little blue star.

    Ugh…

    So I rebelled, got a Firebird Fomula, bought all the Rolling Stones records and in a final act of defiance after seeing Dan Marino shred some teams on Monday Night Football (The only way to see a non-Dallas game back then) I bought an aqua #13 jersey and started rooting for them.

    After almost 25 years, now I root for the Hurricanes and the Heat, as well.

    Can’t really warm up to the Marlins, though, after the way Huizenga ‘bought’ his World Series then firesold the team.

    Maybe I’ll get there when then new stadium is finished in 2012 and they change their name to the Miami Marlins…

    Long @$$ answer, but you’re used to that by now I’m sure…

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