FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – At the end of the 2001 season, the New England Patriots claimed their first league championship in franchise history when they scored a 20-17 win of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans. Fifteen years later, the Kraft family and the Patriots organization will welcome the players from that Super Bowl team back to Foxborough for the first reunion of a Patriots Super Bowl championship team.
"For all that happened that year, both on and off the field, the 2001 season will always be one of the most memorable in franchise history," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "The fact that the season ended on a game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl was the perfect ending to a storybook season. I can't believe it has already been 15 years. We are eager to welcome everyone back to Gillette Stadium. It is going to be a lot of fun to reminisce with the team and I am really looking forward to giving our fans the opportunity to welcome this team back for the first time."
Throughout the 2016 season, the organization has celebrated the anniversary with a few season-long initiatives to honor the team's accomplishments. Memorable moments from games during the 2001 season are displayed on the team's 2016 season tickets. In addition, the organization has created season-long content for Patriots fans to enjoy and reflect back on that magical season. The pieces have been featured on Patriots All Access, on Patriots.com, in Patriots Football Weekly, GameDay Magazine and social media posts. The celebration of that season will culminate this weekend when members of the 2001 team gather for a reunion dinner Saturday night while the MIAA high school football state championships are being played, providing an appropriate Super Bowl theme for the evening. On Sunday, the team will be recognized with a halftime celebration on the field at Gillette Stadium when the Patriots host the Los Angeles Rams.
