FOXBORO, Mass. – The New England Patriots will have a new look for the new millennium. On Saturday, May 27, this new look will be unveiled when quarterback Drew Bledsoe, linebacker Ted Johnson and placekicker Adam Vinatieri model the team's new uniforms during WBCN's River Rave 2000 concert series at Foxboro Stadium.
As the Patriots radio flagship station, WBCN 104.1 FM has been providing Patriots fans throughout New England the play-by-play action of every Patriots game in stereo sound since 1995. The Patriots remain the only major league sports franchise in New England to broadcast all of their games in stereo.
"WBCN has been a terrific broadcast partner for the Patriots and we are happy to be providing the venue for this year's River Rave concert here at Foxboro Stadium," said Patriots Chief Operating Officer Andy Wasynczuk. "Since the concert is being held here and WBCN is our flagship station, we wanted to provide a Patriots presence and thought this would be a fun and unique way to unveil the new uniforms."
The new uniforms were designed by Adidas, who became the Patriots authentic Pro-Line product supplier in 1999. In addition to a change in design, the new uniform will also feature a color change from a royal blue to a new Nautical Blue. It is the first design change the team has had in five years. With the exception of that change in color, the Patriots logo will remain the same.
"We think this new design is going to be very popular," said Wasynczuk. "Nautical Blue is a more traditional navy blue, which is very popular in this region. As we start the new millennium, we wanted to modify the design of our uniforms to better represent that traditional look. We asked Adidas to provide us with a strong, bold, traditional look. We are committed to building a powerful team on the field and wanted a uniform design that would reflect that image. We think Adidas did a great job in capturing the intensity within the design that we were seeking."
In 1960, the Patriots made their professional debut sporting the "patriotic" colors of red, white and blue. The home jerseys were red with a traditional navy blue stripe on the shoulders. After three decades of subtle changes, the Patriots made their first significant change in the uniform design in 1993, when they changed from red as their dominant color to royal blue. After seven seasons and a couple of uniform modifications, the Patriots have replaced that royal blue with the traditional navy blue that accented their red jerseys for the franchise's first three decades.
