Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of Robert Kraft’s purchase of the New England Patriots. Kraft purchased the franchise on January 21st, 1994 from then owner James Busch Orthwein.

Kraft had been a Patriots fan since 1971 and had expressed an interest in owning a sports franchise in New England for years. At one time, he was the owner of the now defunct Boston Lobsters of the World Tennis Team.

In 1985, Kraft purchased a ten year option on the Foxboro Raceway, a horse track that was adjacent to the old Foxboro Stadium. Three years later, Kraft outbid several competitors to buy the stadium out of bankruptcy court from then Patriots owner Billy Sullivan for $22 million. The Sullivan’s needed to sell thanks to a series of bad investments. The purchase paved the way for Kraft to eventually purchase the Patriots.

The purchase of the raceway also included the Patriots lease of the stadium which ran to 2001. Kraft tried to purchase the Patriots as well but was outbid by the owner of Remington Products, Victor Kiam. Kiam along with Sullivan tried to relocate the Patriots to Jacksonville.

Kiam only owned the team for four years, selling the Patriots to Orthwein in 1991 for $106 million dollars. Orthwein then hired Bill Parcells in 1993 and the team drafted quarterback Drew Bledsoe first overall that year. 

Orthwein was planning on moving the Patriots to St. Louis and renaming them the Stallions but Kraft refused a buyout of the Patriots lease effectively blocking Ortherin from relocating the team. 

Kraft used his ownership of the stadium to stage a hostile takeover of sorts, offering to pay $175 million to buy the Patriots. He knew that Orthwein did not want the team if he could not move it to St. Louis. Current Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke offered Orthwein $200 million to buy the Patriots but Orthwein would have to cover all legal and moving expenses so Orthwein ultimately sold the team to Kraft.

Kraft’s purchase of the team kept the franchise in New England. The Patriots did almost moved to Hartford but Kraft and the state figured out a way to fund the building of a new stadium and Gillette Stadium was opened in 2002. 

So as we celebrate the greatest ownership run in NFL history, remember. It almost did not happen. The Patriots almost became the St. Louis Stallions.