FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots will kick off their 50th anniversary season in 11 days when they host the Buffalo Bills in ESPN's season premiere of Monday Night Football on Sept. 14. It will be the first of four American Football League (AFL) Legacy Games that the Patriots will appear in this year, featuring matchups between AFL teams who will honor their heritage by suiting up in classic throwback uniforms from the early 1960s.
On opening night, the Patriots will honor their 50th Anniversary Team during a halftime ceremony to recognize the greatest players in the franchise's history. The team was unveiled early last month with 12 offensive players, 12 defensive players and four special teams players. Bill Belichick was named the head coach of the team and Gino Cappelletti was selected as an honorary captain. Recognizing the omission of a defensive captain on the team, Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft filled the void by appointing the recently retired 13-year veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi. Earlier this week, Belichick described Bruschi as the "perfect player" and Kraft called him a "Patriots icon."
The Patriots' 50th anniversary team is listed below.
| OFFENSE: |
OT Bruce Armstrong
OT Matt Light
G John Hannah
G Logan Mankins
C Jon Morris
TE Ben Coates
WR Stanley Morgan
WR Troy Brown
WR Irving Fryar
QB Tom Brady
RB Jim Nance
RB Sam Cunningham</td>
<td valign="top"><u>**DEFENSE:**</u>
DE Julius Adams
DE Richard Seymour
DT Houston Antwine
DT Vince Wilfork
OLB Andre Tippett
OLB Mike Vrabel
ILB Steve Nelson
ILB Nick Buoniconti
CB Mike Haynes
CB Ty Law
S Fred Marion
S Rodney Harrison</td>
<td valign="top"><u>**SPECIALISTS:**</u>
K Adam Vinatieri
P Rich Camarillo
SPT Mosi Tatupu
KR/PR Kevin Faulk
HONORARY OFFENSIVE CAPTAIN:WR/K Gino Cappelletti
HONORARY DEFENSIVE CAPTAIN:
LB Tedy Bruschi
HEAD COACH:
Bill Belichick
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