Pat Patriot Visits Fun 107

On the morning that the Patriots hired their first head coach in a quarter century, the former team mascot visited the Michael and Maddie Studio.

Adam Visbaras, the man who wore the Pat Patriot costume for more than half of the Bill Belichick reign, had just finished up his radio interview with us as word came down that Jerod Mayo had been named the new Patriots head coach.

"You're going to like him," said Visbaras, a Dartmouth resident.  "I've had the chance to talk with him a number of times and he is a great leader."

LISTEN:  Adam's interview with M&M

Visbaras was not here to talk about Mayo, though.  He was invited in to talk about the legend, Bill Belichick, and what it was like to be a part of the Patriots organization for more than 12 years.

Belichick the Softy

"There are so many stories, but one that comes to mind happened on a draft day.  Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick have access to a private elevator in the stadium.  As they were getting off, Belichick walked by a father and son.  The boy wanted to ask the coach a question, which he did.  Instead of answering, Belichick invited the boy to the press conference where he'd get the chance to ask the question from the podium.  "He didn't have to do that," said Visbaras, "but he did."  Apparently, the old coach wasn't as salty as he'd like us to think.  He can be a softy.  "He can be human," said Visbaras.

Visbaras was forced into retirement for physical reasons.  During the games, he used to climb onto the railings to interact with fans.  "I jumped down too many times and my knees took a pounding.  As much as I wanted to continue, my body told me no."

However, the Old Rochester Regional grad will always have his memories of his time as Pat Patriot.  "I went to five Super Bowls, and the Patriots won 3 of those 5 games.  Not too bad," said Visbaras.