The New England Patriots are wearing their classic red "Pat Patriot" throwback uniforms today in their Week 3 matchup on September 21, 2025, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is the fourth consecutive year the team will wear these uniforms, which were their primary look from 1960 to 1992. The uniforms feature a white helmet with the "Pat Patriot" logo, red jerseys with white and blue stripes on the sleeves, and white pants with corresponding stripes.
A Game to Remember
In the spirit of that throwback era, I have been to many Patriots games over the years, with my Pats superfan honey, in both Sullivan and Gillette stadiums. But one day stands out above all of them, nearly 43 years ago. It was December 12, 1982. The sky hung low and gray, and it was snowing Massachusetts-style in Sullivan Stadium. The Pats were locked in a scoreless trench war with the Miami Dolphins. The field was a frozen, crusty, white wasteland. Visibility was poor, traction was worse, and the scoreboard refused to budge. In a battle of attrition, players slipped, skidded, and collided like bumper cars, while passes fluttered like wounded seagulls. The Dolphins, unused to the New England chill, looked pretty darn miserable. But the Pats had a secret weapon--not a player or a playbook, but a machine.
It was late in the fourth quarter with the ball on Miami's 7-yard line when head coach Ron Meyer made a call that would go down in legend. He summoned Mark Henderson, a convict on work release, who was operating the stadium's John Deere tractor. Henderson had been clearing yard markers throughout the game, but this time, Meyer had a different task: clear a path for kicker John Smith.
(Note: Reporters attributed the summoning to Meyer, and that might be true, but I clearly saw Steve Grogan have a private conversation with Mark Henderson before he jumped on the tractor.)
Henderson then drove the machine to the exact spot where the ball would be placed and carved a pristine patch of turf amid the snowy, frozen tundra. Dolphins coach Don Shula protested furiously, but the officials let it stand.
As Smith lined up, the wind howled, and everyone else and I held our breath. He took his steps, planted his foot in the freshly cleared patch, and swung. The ball rocketed, slicing through the snowflakes like a comet. It split the uprights with perfect precision. Three points! That was all it took. Our New England Patriots won in a glorious 3-0 final score. The Dolphins were livid. Shula called it "the most unfair play in NFL history." The league banned snowplows from being used on the field in future games. But the moment was immortal!
The temperature was 26°F with winds blowing at 16 mph, creating a wind chill of 14°F. We had to clear about two feet of snow off the frozen bleachers, and soon, my butt was frozen too. :-) However, we were down low on the 20-yard line, and I had my new 35mm camera with a long lens, ready for that very moment. I immortalized the legendary series with a bunch of shots, including one of the ball leaving Smith's foot and another as it went through the uprights. SCOOOOOOOOORE!!!!
By the way, the "snowplow" from the legendary game is actually a tractor with a rotating brush attachment. How do I know that? Because it's still around and is a cherished piece of Patriots lore. It's currently preserved and on display at the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium. I've seen it hanging there, and it still makes me smile. :-) #GoPats read more