The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They currently belong to the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Originally called the Boston Patriots, the ownership changed location name after relocating the team to Foxborough in 1971. After forming in 1960, the Patriots advanced to the playoffs four times before their first Super Bowl appearance: Super Bowl XX in 1986. The team also lost Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. However, between 2001 and 2005, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history (after the Dallas Cowboys) to win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX). Additionally, the Patriots are the seventh team in NFL history to win back to back Super Bowls (XXXVIII and XXXIX respectively). (continued...)