With the trouble we had the last time at Fenway Park, this time around we opt to sneak in at night during the dead of winter to play this game between two of the best Patriots teams of the AFL era. Doc Brown of Back to the Future fame sets us down in South Station in his time travel locomotive, but unfortunately we arrive smack dab in the middle of a good old fashion New England Nor'easter.

A problem arises when after turning on the lights at Fenway we find the hallowed sod to be buried under a foot of snow. Being accustomed to such problems, the players begrudgingly grab some shovels and get to work clearing off the field.

The familiarity of the two teams will foster a unique competition between teammates who faced each other on a daily basis. "It's funny but we didn't have scout teams back then so we had to play really hard against each other in practice," remembers Gino Cappelletti.

The one major element that sets the two teams apart is fullback Jim Nance. In 1966 Nance rushed for an AFL and Patriot team record 1,458 yards, and on a night where weather conditions favor a running attack it would seem his club would have the advantage.

Both clubs start cautiously in the horrendous conditions, with the '64 club breaking the scoring column with a Gino Cappelletti chip shot through the snowflakes for a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. "I never really believed the receivers had an advantage against the defense in bad weather like everyone says," explained Gino. "You just went out and did your best."

In the second quarter Gino's best is more than enough, as quarterback Babe Parilli starts finding him and his mates on a consistent basis. The '64 Pats ring up three touchdowns in five minutes to end the competitive phase of the contest. Parilli finds his tight end Tony Romeo and then Gino again for two of the scores, and Ross O'Hanley trudges 24 yards with an interception to make the score 24-0.

The huge deficit takes Nance out of the ballgame but a proud '66 squad refuses to yield. At the start of the fourth quarter they avoid the shutout when Cappelletti grabs a 29-yard scoring toss, giving Gino the unique distinction of becoming the first player in the tournament to score a touchdown for both teams in the same game!

Cappelletti led the AFL in scoring five times, so it should come as no surprise that when the final score of 27-10 is posted, he has accounted for 25 of the 37 points in the game (can someone please tell me why this man is not in the Hall of Fame?). With the '64 team now crowned as the best Patriots team of the 60s, it will next meet what many consider to be the best Pats club of the 1970s in the 1976 Cinderella Patriots. Hopefully Dick Albert can arrange for some better weather for that one.

Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Temp:23 Wind: 0-10 Snow

1966 Boston Patriots 0 0 0 10 - 10
1964 Boston Patriots 3 21 3 0 - 27

First Quarter
BOS '64-FG Cappelletti 9 3:02

Second Quarter
BOS '64-Romeo 6 pass from Parilli (Cappelletti kick) 12:34
BOS '64-Cappelletti 13 pass from Parilli (Cappelletti kick) 8:49
BOS '64-O'Hanley 23 interception return (Cappelletti kick) 7:22

Third Quarter
BOS '64-FG Cappelletti 40 7:20

Fourth Quarter
BOS '66-Cappelletti 29 pass from Parilli (Cappelletti kick) 14:09
BOS '66-FG Cappelletti 14 5:38

Rushing
BOS '66-Nance 14-58, Garron 9-6, Parilli 1-1
BOS '64-Garron 19-42, Burton 8-9, JD Garrett 1-2

Receiving
BOS '66-A.Graham 7-95, Cappellett 4-71, Garron 3-26, Whalen 2-8
BOS '64-Cappellett 7-114, Colclough 4-79, Garron 3-28, Graham 3-33, Romeo 3-36

Passing
BOS '66-Parilli 31-16-2-200, 1 TD
BOS '64-Parilli 29-20-1-290, 2 TD

Fumbles
BOS '66-Nance 2
BOS '64-Cloutier 2, Parilli 1

Recoveries
BOS '66-Cappellett 1, Morris 1
Bos '64-Morris 1, Richards 1, Shonta 1