William Hallissey Sullivan Jr. (September 13, 1915 – February 23, 1998) was an American businessman who owned the Boston Patriots franchise from their inception in the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969) until their sale, as the New England Patriots of the NFL, to Victor Kiam in 1988. Early life Sullivan was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1915. He graduated from Lowell High School in 1933, then from Boston College in 1937. The son of a Boston Globe correspondent, Sullivan became a sportswriter after college. He also served as a publicity director for Boston College, the University of Notre Dame, and the Boston Braves. Sullivan also served in the United States Navy during this time. In 1947, Sullivan helped found The Jimmy Fund, a pediatric cancer charity. NFL career NFL franchise attempt In 1959, Sullivan requested a National Football League franchise in Boston. The NFL turned his offer down, in part because five previous attempts at NFL franchises in Boston had either folded or moved. AFL franchise After the NFL denied his request, Sullivan sought to become a charter member of the new American Football League. He led a syndicate that was awarded the league's eighth and final team for their inaugural season in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, paying a franchise fee of $25,000. Sullivan named his son, Patrick, as general manager and his other son, Chuck, as executive vice president. In 1964, Sullivan helped the AFL negotiate a 5-year, $30 million television agreement with NBC. AFL–NFL merger In 1966, Sullivan played a part in the AFL–NFL merger by successfully requesting an antitrust exemption from the United States Congress. New England Patriots In 1971, Sullivan changed the team's name from the Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots to correspond with the team's move to Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and to embrace all of New England. In 1974, Sullivan was ousted as president of the Patriots despite owning more than 20% of the voting stock. By the end of 1975, the Sullivans had bought out the minority partners and regained control. This was out of necessity; the only way he could pay back the $5.3 million in loans that he took out to buy out his partners was to acquire all of the outstanding stock. In order to do this, Sullivan needed to buy out the non-voting public shareholders. Sullivan structured a deal that provided the non-voting public shareholders