Lou Saban, who was the first coach of the then-Boston Patriots, died this morning at his home in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. He was 87.

Saban was named coach of the new team on Feb. 8, 1960 -- about two weeks before the team had received its name via a public contest. He spent less than two seasons on the sidelines, and the Patriots went 7-12 in that time.

"On behalf of the New England Patriots organization and my entire family, we are deeply saddened by the news of Lou Saban's passing and extend sincere sympathies to the entire Saban family," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft in a statement. "As the Patriots' first head coach, Lou helped kick off a new era of football in Boston. As a result, a part of his football legacy will forever be linked to many of the firsts in our franchise's history. This season, we will be celebrating the Patriots' 50th anniversary and reflecting back on that inaugural season. It should give us all cause to appreciate Lou's many contributions during the Patriots' formative years."

Saban was hired as the head coach of the Boston Patriots on Feb. 8, 1960. That summer, he presided over the team's inaugural training camp at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass., where 350 players tried out for the team. Under his guidance, the Patriots played in the first game in the history of the American Football League at Boston University Field on Sept. 9, 1960. A week later, he coached the Patriots to the franchise's first victory, a 28-24 win over the New York Titans at the Polo Grounds in New York. On Nov. 25, 1960, the Patriots hosted the first sellout in AFL history, when 27,123 fans packed Boston University Field for a game against the Houston Oilers. The Patriots finished the 1960 season with a 5-9 record. After a 2-3 start to the 1961 season, Saban was replaced as Patriots head coach by Mike Holovak on Oct. 10, 1961.

A player at Indiana University and with the Cleveland Browns, Saban was well-traveled as a coach, with stops including Buffalo and Denver in the AFL/NFL, Maryland, Miami, Army and Central Florida in the college ranks, and high schools. Saban also served as president of the New York Yankees from 1981-82.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report