Pat Patriot is the mascot

Mascot

The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

 of the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

, a National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 franchise. He appears to be a revolutionary

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

 minuteman. The logo version of Pat wears a tricorner hat and a Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

 uniform. This was the Patriots' official insignia until 1993

1993 New England Patriots season

The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1993 season with a record of five wins and eleven losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Season summary:Amid year-long rumors that the team would move to St...

, when it was replaced by the current logo. The live mascot Pat, still employed, wears the Patriots' home uniform (currently navy blue jersey with silver pants). He wears jersey #1. Pat wore the number 0 until 2001

2001 New England Patriots season

The 2001 New England Patriots season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. They finished with an 11–5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI....

, when the team signed veteran linebacker Bryan Cox

Bryan Cox

Bryan Keith Cox is a former American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the NFL from 1991 through 2002. He was a member of the New England Patriots club that won Super Bowl XXXVI...

, who elected to wear 0 until his customary 51 became available after pre-season play concluded.