Everything he envisioned

(ELISE AMENDOLA/2004 FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FOXBOROUGH -- The memories are vivid for Robert Kraft.

On this day 13 years ago, he was set to take a plunge that initially puzzled his wife, Myra, and would dramatically change his family's life. Not to mention the future of the New England Patriots.

He had spent the night before in St. Louis, finalizing the paperwork to purchase his hometown football team. Not everyone in the family was completely on board.

"When my wife doubted me in buying the team, I told her that if we did a good job managing this asset, we'd do more in terms of impacting the psyche of the community than if we were in position to give a million dollars a week away," Kraft said. "Sport can bring a community together in ways that nothing else does. It's the great equalizer."

If only they could have fast-forwarded 13 years, the anxiety that filled that day would have been replaced by sheer joy. Because in many ways, the last 13 years have been a joy ride for Kraft and his family, and today marks yet another high point along the way.

When the Patriots visit the Colts tonight in the AFC Championship game, it marks the fifth time in Kraft's ownership tenure that the team is playing for a berth in the Super Bowl.

Considering the Patriots made one appearance in a conference championship game in the first 34 years of their existence, and were 19-61 in the five seasons before Kraft bought the team, the team's recent success -- especially in the salary cap era that promotes parity -- is a great source of pride to the family.

So, too, is the fact the Patriots own the highest win total among all NFL teams since he purchased the club, with 144 (postseason included). The team also has the highest winning percentage over that span (144-84; .632), as well as having hosted nine playoff games and winning three Super Bowl trophies.

In many ways, it's helped shed the Patriots in a light that Kraft, the team's chairman and CEO, first envisioned 13 years ago.

"If people can brand with us and feel they're winners, and I think in a small way our team has been able to do that, that's probably the thing that makes me the most proud and is the most rewarding," he said. "You can bring a community together behind something and that is part of the legacy we want the Patriots to represent. We'll have rough times, there will be something that happens that will be embarrassing, but we'll do our best to minimize those incidents."

When Kraft reflects on what was unfolding on this day 13 years ago, he remembers traveling back from St. Louis, where he had officially but quietly consummated the purchase of the team. A press conference was scheduled at Foxboro Stadium, and there was still a question of whether the Patriots would leave New England.

"It was an overwhelming crowd, a thrilling day," Kraft recalled. "I remember saying 'get on my back and come for this ride with me.' Our dream was to bring a championship to New England and develop a brand that everyone could be proud of."

About one month later, after Kraft's ownership was granted league approval, the new boss saw something while driving to the stadium he will never forget.

"It was snowing, yet here was this line, and that day we sold 6,000 season tickets [for 1994]," he said. "People were standing in the snow for hours, and I think that's when my love affair with the fans really began. We were giving out coffee."

Kraft and his son Jonathan, the team's president, made 70 speeches in 90 days around the region. They knew it was crucial to fill the stadium, because the Patriots' brand couldn't grow if home games were blacked out on local TV, as had been the case for much of the early 1990s when the season ticket base consisted of less than 18,000 fans.

It wasn't an easy sell. One game late in the 1992 season drew just 19,426 fans. The team had hosted just one playoff game in 34 years.

Patriots fans in their mid-20s or younger might not believe such days existed, as there is now a paid season ticket waiting list of more than 50,000. The Patriots have sold out 137 consecutive home games, dating to 1994 and including regular season, preseason, and playoff games.

As he considers the success of the Patriots over his 13-year ownership tenure, Kraft believes it traces back to the fans.

"It goes back to that day in the snow," he said. "Feeling their support allowed us to take the risks we did. They've been here for us right along the way."

In many ways, Kraft acknowledges he was too much of a fan early on.

"There is nothing I really regret," he said. "I was naive. You fall in love with players. The mistakes I made were all learning processes, and it helped me become a better owner and helped me have better judgment."

Kraft's best judgment arguably came after the 1999 season, when he decided Bill Belichick was the coach he wanted to lead the Patriots. Kraft was entering his seventh season as owner, had already employed two coaches in Bill Parcells and Pete Carroll, and was questioned by some for turning to Belichick.

"I always supported him because I believed. I never wavered in my support," said Kraft, noting the team was 5-11 in Belichick's first season, and started the 2001 season 1-3.

Kraft has the same feelings today, as he's naturally pleased with the way in which Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli have led the football operation.

"When I hired Bill, I said to him that he has full reign, but the only thing I didn't want is him bringing thugs in here," Kraft said. "If we needed that to win, we'd get out of the business. I'm very proud of what Bill and Scott have done, bringing in people of good character, stressing this concept of team, which is the same way we run our other businesses, getting everyone to pull together. As a fan, you're passionate and you want to win at any cost. As managers, the kind of people they've brought in, and what they've done here, is pretty special."

Kraft also realizes how fortunate the Patriots are to have quarterback Tom Brady.

"I think of kids who grew up feeling a certain way about [Joe] Montana and how lucky we are to have Tom Brady," he said. "There has just been a confluence of a lot of great things that have come together. Having Belichick. Having Brady. Having Scott. Having the commitment of our family to take risks.

"I'm pretty proud of where we're at. I have a lot to be thankful for and hope we keep it going."

Keeping it going in the modern-day NFL is a significant challenge; seven of this year's 12 playoff teams didn't qualify for postseason play in 2005. The Patriots are the only team in the league to win at least one playoff game in each of the last four seasons.

Part of what has challenged the Patriots in recent years is losing quality people on Belichick's staff.

"Maintaining the system is just so hard, people raid you," Kraft said. "I'm not sure people appreciate how Bill has been an excellent manager, in terms of training the next generation. He's lost managers in his system. I think about the coaches we've lost and to do this with all of that . . ."

It has helped that the Patriots have fallen back on stability in ownership, as well as having Belichick and Pioli, who are now the second-longest tenured coach/personnel chief combination in the NFL. Recognizing this, Forbes Magazine cited the Patriots as the best team in sports in 2005.

"In the end, our family is about winning and trying to do it in as classy a way as we can," Kraft said. "In any business, if you want to succeed, it's all about the people you surround yourself with. That doesn't mean it's perfect, and we're in a very tough business which is ruthlessly competitive. There aren't too many people we're competing with who are rooting for us. We're trying to be as understated as possible, but at the same time, be driven to win and doing it in the right manner.

"We just went 12-4. It's a shame we're not hosting this championship game here," Kraft continued. "To go 12-4, which is our second-best record in our history -- and to have our defense do what they did in terms of fewest points allowed -- it's pretty special. I think maybe our fans take it a little bit for granted, especially in this age of the salary cap."

As for the Patriots' current salary cap situation, Kraft said the fact the team had salary cap space toward the end of the year was important because "this is a business where you have to be flexible." He added that the team's spending in 2006 was affected by new rules under the collective bargaining agreement that penalize teams who cumulatively go over the cap.

Still, Kraft likes the way the Patriots are positioned for future success in regard to the salary cap and draft picks.

"I've seen a lot of managers in my life, and a lot of bad stuff can happen, but Bill takes it in stride, working in partnership with Scott," he said. "But if you have no borrowing capacity left, or you use up all your credit, you can't do it. We've tried to do that, and we also have two No. 1 picks in the most economical part of the draft. The best value for high-quality players, if you pick right, is the second half of the first round."

But Kraft hopes the time to turn attention to the draft and next season is still a few weeks away.

Considering this is the date it all started 13 years ago, forgive Kraft if he reflects for a brief moment.

"I think in life you have to hang out with good people and be passionate about what you're doing," he said. "And I love what I'm doing."