The New England Patriots announced that Phil Bissell, a cartoonist who created the team’s original “Pat Patriot” logo, passed away.
Bissell’s drawing of a colonial soldier hiking a football player appeared in The Boston Globe in 1960. The American Football League’s Boston Patriots adopted it as their helmet symbol for decades.
Bissell would have turned 98 years old next Thursday.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Phil Bissell, the original creator of the Pat Patriot logo. pic.twitter.com/U6aC99w3ns
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 25, 2024
The Patriots used that logo until instituting their current “Flying Elvis” design in 1993. In 2022, Bissell told WCVB’s Ed Harding that it took him 45 minutes to draw.
“I just wanted to make a guy that looked like he’s ready to go,” Bissell said. “That he had hands all broken because he was in the trenches digging holes. He was a real fighter in the trenches, and that’s what made him a good Pat.”
Bissell argued that the Flying Elvis “didn’t have any feeling” compared to his mascot.
The Patriots brought back the iconic logo twice this season. They wore red jerseys with white helmets featuring Bissell’s Pat Patriot design during losses to the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.
Our condolences go out to Bissell’s loved ones and the Patriots community for their loss.