The New England Patriots announced the three finalists for the 2023 class of their franchise Hall of Fame on Thursday, April 13. The nominees include two players from the team’s recent dynasty era (Logan Mankins and Mike Vrabel) as well as one of the most successful coaches in organizational history, Bill Parcells. Together, their contributions span three decades of Patriots football.
Patriots Hall of Fame Nominees Include Former Teammates
Neither Mankins nor Vrabel spent his entire career with New England, but their Patriots tenures overlapped from 2005 to 2008.
Vrabel joined New England first, signing with the team as a free agent ahead of the 2001 season after spending four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That turned out to be terrific timing for the veteran linebacker, who joined the team just in time to help them win their first Super Bowl in franchise history that year.
Vrabel helped the Patriots win two more titles during the 2003 and 2004 campaigns as well. Statistically, his best season came in 2007 when he finished fifth in the AP Defensive Player of the Year voting after racking up a personal-best 12.5 sacks. While he missed out on that award, he was rewarded with his only career Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection. Vrabel’s career year played a key part in New England going undefeated during the regular season and reaching the Super Bowl as well.
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By this time, Mankins had joined the club. He was drafted by the Patriots as the final pick of the first round in 2005 and immediately made an impact on the team’s offensive line, finishing second in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
It was the start of a successful career for Mankins, who earned six Pro Bowl selections during his nine seasons with New England. Mankins anchored the Patriots’ offensive line for nearly a decade, helping keep Tom Brady upright and establishing himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the league. He was later named to the NFL Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team in recognition of his excellence despite retiring after the 2015 season.
Unfortunately for Mankins, his nine seasons with New England happened to be the nine years they went between Super Bowl titles. He arrived immediately after they won it all in 2004 and was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right before the Patriots’ 2014 championship season. Even so, he still got to play in two Super Bowls, although both ended with losses to the New York Giants.
Bill Parcells Helped Revitalize the Patriots in 1990s
Before Bill Belichick, only two coaches had ever taken New England to the Super Bowl. The first was Raymond Berry in 1985, and the second was Bill Parcells in 1996.
When Parcells took over in 1993, the Patriots were struggling. They were coming off four straight losing seasons and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1986.
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Fortunately for the franchise, it didn’t take long for Parcells to turn things around. New England improved from 2-14 to 5-11 in his first season, and during his second season they went 10-6 and made the playoffs as a wild-card team. After slipping to 6-10 in his third year, the Patriots tied their best record in franchise history up to that point (11-5) in 1996 and went all the way to the Super Bowl.
While New England fell short against the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl and Parcells left for the New York Jets after that season, he was a prominent figure during the team’s return to relevance and contention during the 1990s.
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Patriots Reveal 2023 Hall of Fame Finalists