The cartoonist who created the beloved original logo of the New England Patriots has died, the team announced Thursday, saying they were "deeply saddened" to learn the news.
Phil Bissell's design for Pat Patriot, a red-white-and-blue minuteman ready to hike a football, was established as the logo on April 19, 1960, ahead of the team's inaugural season, according to the Patriots.
Bissell created the logo for his job as a cartoonist at The Boston Globe, according to the Patriots Hall of Fame.
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"Upon seeing the drawing in publication, then Patriots owner Billy Sullivan reached out to Bissell to secure the revolutionary soldier hiking a football as the team’s logo," the website says.
He went on to create covers for game programs over the years.
