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62-516: The night before this game, heavy rains soaked the AstroTurf surface at New England's Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts . The field froze over, and conditions were made worse when a snowstorm hit during the game. An emergency ground rule was put into play where the officials could call timeout and allow the ground crew to use a snowplow to clear the yard markers. Despite this rule,

124-737: A John Deere Model 314 tractor with sweeper attached, hangs from the ceiling. Schaefer Stadium Foxboro Stadium , originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium , was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts . It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) for 31 seasons (through January 2002 ) and also as

186-589: A major sports stadium even by 1970s standards. This was because the Patriots received no funding from the governments of either the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the town of Foxborough; indeed, it was one of the few major league stadiums of that era that was entirely privately funded. Like the majority of outdoor sports venues built in North America in the 1970s, Foxboro Stadium was designed for

248-538: A soccer pitch with acceptable dimensions to FIFA . With a capacity of just over 60,000 (only 10,000 above the NFL's minimum seating capacity), it was one of the smallest stadiums in the NFL. It was also almost completely exposed to the elements, meaning that there was almost no protection for the fans in storms (outside of beneath the stands) or in extreme cold. Additionally, the Sullivan family had lost millions promoting

310-440: A 2007 interview for an NFL Network segment about the game, Shula recalled protesting the act under Rule 17 (the unfair act clause), which allows the league commissioner to overturn the results of a game if an event extraordinarily outside the realms of accepted practice, such as "non-participant interference," has an effect on the outcome of a game. Commissioner Pete Rozelle responded that, while he agreed wholeheartedly, without

372-561: A 20–27 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round game. In Week 2, Santos kicked a 54-yard field goal in a 12–19 loss to the Texans, the longest field goal of his professional career. Santos made two field goals in the 30–27 overtime victory against Broncos including the game-winner, a 34-yard field goal attempt that bounced off the left upright. In November, Santos was named AFC Special Teams Player of

434-648: A 26–10 loss to the Tennessee Titans , kicking his first career field goal. After missing two field goals in his first two games, he made his next 13 field goal attempts, including a clutch game-winning field goal with 26 seconds left in a Week 7 win over the San Diego Chargers and a 53-yard field goal the following week against the St. Louis Rams . In the 2014 season, Santos converted all 38 extra point attempts and 25 of 30 field goal attempts. Santos

496-628: A 30–0 victory against the Houston Texans in the American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card Round game, Cairo Santos became the first Brazilian player to play in a National Football League playoffs game. He made three field goals and three extra point attempts. He kicked two 49-yard field goals, the longest field goals in the Chiefs postseason history. In his second postseason game, Santos made two field goals in

558-631: A 42–27 victory over the Patriots on Thursday Night Football . On 26 September 2017, the Chiefs placed Santos on injured reserve . On 30 September 2017, the Chiefs waived Santos from injured reserve. On 20 November 2017, Santos signed with the Chicago Bears . Santos missed his first field-goal attempt as a member of the Bears, a 54-yarder. On 4 December, Santos was placed on injured reserve after hurting his groin in pregame warmups in Week 13 against

620-535: A convict on work release, jokingly remarked, "What are they gonna do, throw me in jail?" Both teams would make the playoffs, with the Patriots finishing 7th in the AFC, and the Dolphins finishing 2nd (the normal division-oriented playoff format was scrapped that year due to the player's strike that shortened the 1982 season in favor of an expanded Super Bowl Tournament ), but the Dolphins would exact revenge, eliminating

682-575: A football venue. Its seating capacity was inadequate—only about 40,000 for football—and many seats had obstructed views. With the completion of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970 , the league required its teams to play in stadiums which seated more than 50,000, and no venue in Boston proper could accommodate a crowd this size with the NFL's then-new requirements. Indeed, before the Patriots arrived, numerous previous attempts at pro football in Boston had been stymied by

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744-407: A game ball from a grateful Meyer after the game. Dolphins head coach Don Shula , angry with the move and believing it to be against the league rules, pointed out that the league's unfair act clause allowed the league to overturn the game result. He met with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle several days later concerning his protest, and although Rozelle agreed with Shula that the use of the plow gave

806-537: A groin injury. In his first game, he made a game-winning 39-yard field goal in a 33–31 victory over the Seattle Seahawks . He was released on 16 October 2018 after two games once Zuerlein was deemed healthy. On 12 November 2018, Santos was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Chandler Catanzaro was released. In his Tampa Bay debut, he was perfect on all five extra-point attempts in

868-425: A heavy snowstorm . In 2018, the rule was changed to immediately penalize a team attempting to do so. The rule was also applied in the 2022 NFL season , when, prior to a field goal attempt, Chicago Bears holder Trenton Gill attempted to use a towel on the field to create a dry patch during heavy rainfall at Soldier Field . The ensuing 15-yard penalty put the field goal out of the range of kicker Cairo Santos . In

930-563: A rule explicitly barring such use of the plow, there was nothing he could do. Ron Meyer, who was also interviewed, said that he didn't see why it was such a controversy at the time, saying, "The only thing I could see (the Dolphins) arguing about was 'unfair competitive advantage'." The incident is commemorated with an interactive exhibit at the Patriots Hall of Fame within the Patriots' current home, Gillette Stadium . The plow itself,

992-559: A single game. In Week 10, Santos made five field goals of six attempts against the Denver Broncos , the second game in the season with at least five field goals made. In Week 15, Santos kicked a 53-yard field goal against the Baltimore Ravens . This was the fourth field goal with at least 50 yards in the season. In the 2015 season, Santos converted 39 of 41 extra point attempts and 30 of 37 field goal attempts. In

1054-593: A small fraction of the seats had permanent chairbacks (painted blue, red and white near the 50-yard line). During heavy rains, the numerous unpaved spots in the parking lot turned to mud. It frequently took an hour or more to leave after games, due to its location on a then-undivided four-lane portion of U.S. Route 1 . In order to host the FIFA World Cup (and later, the New England Revolution ), several rows of seats were removed to accommodate

1116-437: The 1994 FIFA World Cup . Foxboro Stadium was the last stadium where Diego Maradona scored a World Cup goal in a game against Greece, and where he last played in an official FIFA World Cup match against Nigeria on June 25, 1994. The stadium hosted five games in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup , the 1996 and 1999 MLS Cups , and the inaugural Women's United Soccer Association Founders Cup. The stadium's final soccer match

1178-620: The Flowers In the Dirt Tour to the stadium on July 24 and 26, 1990. New Kids on The Block brought The Magic Summer Tour to the stadium on July 29 and July 31, 1990. An audience of 53,000 people attended one of two concert dates. Genesis brought the We Can't Dance Tour to the stadium on May 28, 1992. Metallica and Guns N' Roses brought the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour to

1240-539: The Jackson Victory Tour in 1984. Due to their relatively modest wealth compared to other NFL owners, they pledged the stadium as collateral for the tour. Knowing that the revenue from the Patriots would not be nearly enough to service the debt, the Sullivans quietly put the team and the stadium on the market. The Sullivans' financial picture was so dire that even when the Patriots made Super Bowl XX ,

1302-615: The San Francisco 49ers . He totaled five games in the 2017 season with two teams. He finished converting all 14 extra point attempts and four of five field goal attempts. On 15 March 2018, Santos signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets . He was released on 22 August 2018. On 2 October 2018, Santos signed with the Los Angeles Rams to serve as their starting kicker while Greg Zuerlein recovered from

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1364-576: The WWF King of the Ring tournament on July 8, 1985 and July 14, 1986 . U2 played on The Joshua Tree Tour on September 22, 1987, and later performed three nights of their Zoo TV Tour on August 20, 22, and 23, 1992. Schaefer Stadium hosted Elton John on July 4, 1976, as well as Boz Scaggs , The Eagles , and Fleetwood Mac on July 25, 1976. Sullivan Stadium hosted The Who 's 25th anniversary tour on July 12 and 14, 1989. Paul McCartney brought

1426-585: The 38–35 loss to the New York Giants in Week 11. In Week 15, Santos made his 100th career field goal in the 20–12 loss to the Ravens. In the 2018 season, with two teams, he converted 22 of 23 extra point attempts and 14 of 18 field goal attempts. On 13 March 2019, Santos re-signed with the Buccaneers. On 31 August, Santos was released by the Buccaneers. On 4 September 2019, Santos was signed by

1488-493: The Bears won 27–23. He reverted to the practice squad a day later before being promoted to the 53-man roster on 16 September. Against the Buccaneers in Week 4, he made the game-winning 38-yard field goal with 1:19 remaining. Two weeks later against the Carolina Panthers , he converted a career-long 55-yard field goal as the Bears won 23–17; he was later named National Football Conference (NFC) Special Teams Player of

1550-503: The Dead , there on July 4, 1987. Pink Floyd played a two-night stand in May 1988 (on one of the nights their inflatable pig was torn to shreds). They also played a three-night sold-out stand in May 1994 on their The Division Bell Tour which was recorded and readily available on bootleg. (The second night was filmed by MTV for promotional purposes.) The Dave Matthews Band played seven shows at

1612-482: The Green Wave in points scored while making 13 of his 16 field goal attempts, 32 of his 33 PATs, and handling kick off duties. In his sophomore season, Santos played in all 13 games and finished second on the team in scoring making 11/18 field goals and 33/34 PATs while handling kickoffs and punting duties averaging 41 yards a punt. The 2012 was a breakout season for Santos as he went 26 of 27 on PATs (his only miss

1674-463: The Month for the first time after converting 11 of 11 field goals and all five extra points. In the 2016 season, Santos appeared in all 16 games and converted 36 of 39 extra point attempts and 31 of 35 field goal attempts. After missing much of training camp and the preseason with a groin injury, Santos returned at the start of the regular season. He started by converting all six extra point attempts in

1736-482: The NFL with the Chiefs, before being released partway in the 2017 season. Between 2017 and 2019, he had brief stints with the Chicago Bears , New York Jets , Los Angeles Rams , Tampa Bay Buccaneers , and Tennessee Titans . In 2020, he was reacquired by the Bears and has remained with them since. He is the first Brazilian born player in NFL history. Born in Limeira , in the state of São Paulo , Brazil , Santos

1798-465: The Patriots an unfair advantage, he said that he had never reversed the result of a game and was not going to start doing so for any reason, especially since without a rule explicitly barring such use of the plow, the act wasn't illegal. at Schaefer Stadium , Foxborough, Massachusetts First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers Top rushers Top receivers The snowplow operator Mark Henderson,

1860-481: The Patriots by a score of 28–13 in the First Round, en route to the Dolphins' reaching Super Bowl XVII . The following year, the NFL banned the use of snowplows on the field during a game. Until 2018 , teams were given a sideline warning on the first offense if a non-player attempted to clear the playing field before being penalized, a situation that came up during the 2017 Indianapolis–Buffalo contest played in

1922-580: The Titans after Ryan Succop was placed on injured reserve. Santos was perfect in his team debut, connecting on two field-goal attempts as well as all five of his extra-point attempts in a 43–13 victory over the Cleveland Browns . On 6 October, in a 14–7 Week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills , Santos missed four field goal attempts while also making an extra point. He was released by the Titans

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1984-577: The Week. Santos was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for his performance in December. Santos finished the 2020 season by making 36 of 37 extra point attempts and 30 of 32 field goal attempts. He also kicked a franchise-high 27 consecutive successful field goals during the season. On 11 March 2021, Santos signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears worth $ 9 million. In 2021, Santos continued his success from

2046-473: The bye week, Santos made 13 of his 16 attempted field goals over the final eight games of the season, and finished the season going 26 for 30 on field goals and 27 for 28 on extra points. In Week 7 of the 2022 season, Santos made all four field goals and all three extra points in a 33–14 win over the Patriots, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In the 2022 season, Santos converted 27 of 32 extra point attempts and 21 of 23 field goal attempts. Santos

2108-433: The deal by refusing to let the team out of their lease, which contained an ironclad commitment to play in the stadium until 2001. As a result, when Kiam himself was crippled by financial troubles, he sold the Patriots to James Orthwein in 1992. After only two years, Orthwein tried to move the Patriots to his hometown of St. Louis . However, as in 1992, Kraft refused to let the Patriots out of their lease. Orthwein then put

2170-591: The first home venue for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS) from 1996 to 2002. The stadium was the site of several games in both the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup , and hosted a wide variety of other events, particularly concerts. Foxboro Stadium was demolished in 2002 and replaced by Gillette Stadium and the Patriot Place shopping center. The stadium opened in August 1971 as Schaefer Stadium, primarily as

2232-460: The game for the Patriots. Linebacker Don Blackmon picked off Dolphins quarterback David Woodley . Miami managed to force the Patriots to punt in time to attempt a Hail Mary pass on the game's final play, which was also intercepted. The Patriots won the game by the final score of 3–0. The game ball was awarded to all-pro linebacker Steve Nelson , who subsequently donated it to his alma mater, North Dakota State University . Henderson also received

2294-484: The goal post, giving Smith a clean spot from which to kick. The kick was good. The Dolphins refused an offer by the head referee to clear the field for their final kick. As the Dolphins drove down the field for a potential game-tying field goal, Henderson drove the snowplow with them, remaining at the ready for the call from the referee to clear a spot for Dolphins kicker Uwe von Schamann . On fourth down, however, Shula decided to go for it and failed, effectively securing

2356-414: The ground crew could not plow often enough to keep the field clear. The teams remained scoreless late into the fourth quarter. With 4:45 remaining, Patriots head coach Ron Meyer motioned to snowplow operator Mark Henderson to clear a spot on the field for placekicker John Smith . Meyer would later say that the idea was given to him by Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan . The plow veered left in front of

2418-576: The home venue for the renamed New England Patriots of the National Football League . The team was known as the Boston Patriots for its first eleven seasons 1960 – 70 , and had played in various stadiums in the Boston area. For six seasons, 1963 – 68 , the Patriots played in Fenway Park , home of baseball's Boston Red Sox . Like most baseball stadiums, Fenway was poorly suited as

2480-456: The issues that multi-sport multi-purpose stadiums in other cities had, the stadium was otherwise outmoded. The facility was built in a low-cost "bare bones" manner with unexceptional architectural elements, and had very few modern amenities. The stadium's plumbing was not designed with NFL-sized crowds in mind, which became evident when a sewage issue overflowed the restroom facilities during its first game. Stadium officials were forced to augment

2542-709: The lack of a pro-caliber stadium. (The Redskins left for Washington, D.C. after the 1936 season, in which they hosted the NFL Championship Game , not in Boston but at the Polo Grounds in New York City .) The then-Boston Patriots played the 1969 season at Alumni Stadium at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts , and the 1970 season, their first in the NFL, at Harvard Stadium in Boston's Allston neighborhood. The site

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2604-525: The nation's most outstanding placekicker . Santos went on to compete in the 2014 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl , where he connected on a 39-yard field goal. Santos was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs on 19 May 2014. He was named the Chiefs kicker on 30 August 2014, beating veteran Ryan Succop for the position. On 7 September 2014, he became the first Brazilian born player ever to play in an NFL regular season game in

2666-638: The next day. He appeared in five games in the 2019 season. He converted all 12 extra point attempts and four of nine field goal attempts. Santos signed with the Bears on 25 August 2020. He was released on 5 September during final roster cuts, and was placed on the team's practice squad a day later. He was elevated to the active roster a day before the 2020 season opener against the Detroit Lions following starting kicker Eddy Piñeiro 's placement on injured reserve. Santos made both of his field goal attempts (35 and 28 yards) and all three extra points as

2728-400: The official spelling of the town's name is "Foxborough", the shorter spelling was used for the stadium. During the ownership of Victor Kiam , ESPN anchor Chris Berman humorously referred to the facility as "Shaver Stadium", a pun on Kiam's fame from Remington razor commercials and the stadium's original name. The venue hosted numerous significant soccer matches, including six games in

2790-542: The opportunity to earn a college scholarship, Santos remained in Florida, sharpening his kicking skills through high school. Santos committed to Tulane on 22 January 2010. Santos also received interest from Georgia Tech , Jacksonville , and Miami (OH) . Santos played in all 12 games his freshman year and was named to the Conference USA (C-USA) All-Freshman Team and was honorable-mention All C-USA after leading

2852-419: The permanent toilets with rented portable toilets for the rest of the stadium's existence. It also lacked luxury boxes , an increasingly important source of revenue for other teams in the league. Most patrons had to sit on backless aluminum benches (or like still done in the lower Lambeau Field bowl today, rent or bring in their own stadium cushions and portable chairbacks, especially in cold weather), as only

2914-547: The previous season, making his first 13 attempted field goals in the season and extending his streak of consecutive made field goals from the previous season to 40. This streak was broken during the Bears' Week 9 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers , when he was sent out to attempt a 65-yard field goal with 0:02 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter which fell short, conserving the Steelers' 29–27 win. Following

2976-458: The rights. Instead of putting the name of one of its brands of beer on the stadium, Anheuser-Busch agreed to name it in honor of the Sullivan family, then the majority owners of the Patriots. The name Sullivan Stadium took effect on May 23, 1983. After Sullivan went bankrupt and Robert Kraft purchased the stadium, Kraft stripped Sullivan's name and renamed the venue "Foxboro Stadium". Although

3038-583: The stadium from 1998 to 2001. The Rolling Stones played three nights on September 27 and 29 and October 1, 1989, then two more nights on September 4 and 5, 1994 and lastly October 20 and 21, 1997. Additionally, in 1994, the Drum Corps International World Championships were held in the stadium. By the late 1990s, Foxboro Stadium had become functionally obsolete by modern NFL standards. Despite excellent sight lines to view game action or concerts and having fewer of

3100-520: The stadium on September 11, 1992, with Faith No More as their opening act. Elton John performed at the venue in front of 62,000 on US Bicentennial on July 4, 1976. John again appeared in a Face to Face concert with Billy Joel on July 18, 1994. Madonna performed her "Who's That Girl" tour there on July 9, 1987, to a sell-out crowd. Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead recorded a portion of their collaborative live album, entitled Dylan &

3162-557: The stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage. Cairo Santos Cairo Fernandes Santos (born 12 November 1991) is a Brazilian-American professional American football placekicker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave , and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Santos spent parts of his first four seasons in

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3224-547: The stadium, "The Tuck Rule Game ", was played in a snow storm ; it resulted in a Patriots win against the Oakland Raiders , which famously featured an overturned fumble call based on the then-applicable tuck rule in the final minutes. The stadium's former site became parking lots for its successor, Gillette Stadium , before being developed into the open-air shopping center Patriot Place . †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used

3286-545: The team failed to bring in nearly enough money to service the debt from the Victory Tour. With most of their money tied up in the team, they sold controlling interest in the Patriots to Victor Kiam in 1989. The stadium, however, lapsed into bankruptcy and was bought by Boston paper magnate Robert Kraft in 1988. When Kiam and Sullivan tried to sell the team to interests in Jacksonville , Kraft effectively stymied

3348-562: The team on the market, but the wording of the operating covenant required any potential buyer to negotiate lease terms with Kraft. With this in mind, Kraft swooped in and bought the team himself. Two years later, Kraft bought the parcel of land containing neighboring Bay State Raceway , allowing him to build a new and privately-financed stadium on the raceway property after proposals to build a new stadium in Hartford, Connecticut and South Boston failed. After 31 NFL seasons, Foxboro Stadium

3410-440: The use of an artificial turf playing surface. The original field was Poly-Turf , succeeded by AstroTurf . A natural grass field was installed before the start of the 1991 season. The original name in 1971 was Schaefer Stadium for the brewery of that name in an early example of the sale of naming rights to a company that did not own the stadium. When this agreement expired after the 1982 season, Anheuser-Busch took over

3472-465: Was blocked) and a perfect 21 of 21 on field goals, including a school record 57-yard field goal. He became only the second kicker to make at least 20 in a season without a miss. 12 of those field goals were from 40-plus yards and 2 from 50-plus and 31 of his 55 kickoffs went for touchbacks. At the end of the season, Santos was named consensus All-American and received the Lou Groza Award for

3534-651: Was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November of the 2023 season. On 23 December 2023, he signed a four-year extension with the Bears running through to the 2027 season worth $ 16 million with $ 9.5 million guaranteed. On 15 September 2013, Santos' father died in a plane crash in Brazil. "I used to talk to my dad every day, all the time. We were very close. He was my biggest fan, very supportive of my career, always wishing me to do well, no matter what. He will always be there for me. I know. After each successful kick or game I always think about him. I point my fingers to

3596-564: Was raised in Brasilia , the capital, where his father worked as a pilot for Varig . Santos was unfamiliar with American football until he moved to St. Augustine, Florida , as a foreign exchange student at age 15. Originally, Santos planned to stay at St. Joseph Academy for one year to learn English, but soon found that the kicking skills he had developed playing soccer in Brazil translated well to field goal kicking in American football. With

3658-499: Was scheduled to be demolished on December 23, 2001, the day after the Patriots' final home game. However, the stadium would instead play host to the first season of the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era , with the team making a run to get into the playoffs and going on to win their first Super Bowl . As a result, the stadium was not demolished until late January 2002, after the conclusion of the 2001 postseason . The last game played in

3720-474: Was selected when the owners of Bay State Raceway donated the land, midway between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island . The general contractor who built the stadium was a Massachusetts-based company named J. F. White Contracting Co. Ground was broken in September 1970, and it cost $ 7.1 million, only $ 200,000 over budget. Even allowing for this modest cost overrun, it was still a bargain price for

3782-858: Was the qualifying match between the United States and Jamaica, which the United States won 2-1. During the final week of the 1971 season, Holy Cross moved its home game against rival Boston College to the newly-constructed Schaefer Stadium, due to a heavy snowstorm that rendered Fitton Field in Worcester unplayable. In the opening week of the 1975 season, Boston College hosted Notre Dame at Schaefer Stadium in their first ever meeting. From 1983 through 1987, BC used Schaefer/Sullivan Stadium as an alternate home venue to host crowds larger than could be accommodated on campus at Alumni Stadium . The stadium hosted numerous other outdoor events, primarily concerts, along with music festivals, including The Monsters of Rock Festival Tour and The Vans Warped Tour , as well as

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3844-472: Was the team leader whose 113 points were the most by a rookie player in Chiefs history. He also made most field goals (25) by a rookie kicker in Chiefs history (tied with Ryan Succop). In a 21–36 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on 4 October, Santos kicked a team record seven field goals, including two over 50 yards. His seven field goals tied him with five players for the second most all-time in

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