Gino Cappelletti
Encyclopedia
Gino Cappelletti is a former American collegiate and Professional Football
player. He played at the University of Minnesota
, and was a star in the American Football League
for the Boston Patriots. He was the 1964 American Football League Most Valuable Player
, a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame and of their All-1960s Team, the American Football League Hall of Fame, and a present announcer for the radio broadcasts of the Patriots' games.
, finishing his career there in 1954 as quarterback, in addition to his placekicking duties. Gino kicked just one field goal in his college career.
of the ORFU
in Canada
during 1955. He joined Toronto Balmy Beach in 1956, but was drafted into the U.S. Army in mid-season, returning to Canada in 1958. Cappelletti signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
of the CFL
, but was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
, later cut, and went back to the ORFU, leading the Sarnia Golden Bears (the team changed its name in 1956) to the league championship.
Eventually, and most notably, he played for the AFL's Boston Patriots from 1960 through 1970 and was the Patriots' all-time leading scorer with 1,130 points (42 TDs, 176 FGs and 342 PATs), until December 5, 2005, when Adam Vinatieri
kicked his second field goal of the game against the New York Jets
.
Cappelletti led the American Football League
in scoring five times and led or tied the NFL in scoring 5 times as well. He had two of the top five scoring seasons in pro football history – 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961 (14-game seasons). Nicknamed the "Duke", he is the all-time leading scorer in the American Football League. Cappelletti is among the AFL's all-time top ten receivers, in yards and in receptions. He is the Patriots' third all-time leading receiver with 292 catches for 4,589 yards, and has attempted more field goals (334) than any other player in team history. During his pro career, he also returned punts and kickoffs, played defensive back, and even had one pass completion, for a touchdown. He holds the Professional Football record for most touchdowns in Saturday games (10).
The Wide Receiver/Quarterback relationship of Gino Cappelletti and Babe Parilli
was nicknamed "Grand Opera."
Cappelletti was the American Football League's Most Valuable Player
in 1964, and a five-time AFL All-Star
. He is one of only twenty players who were in the American Football League for its entire ten-year existence, and one of three who played in every game their teams played in the AFL. He was the 2nd AFL Player to have 3 interceptions (of Tom Flores
) in a regular season game. He had a 37 yard kickoff return in the Patriots 37-21 loss to the Houston Oilers on 12-18-60. He completed a 2 point pass to "Cowboy" Jim Crawford in the Patriots 35-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Chargers on 10-08-60. Gino completed a 27 yard fake field goal touchdown pass to Larry Garron in the Patriots 37-30 loss to the New York Titans
on 10-01-61. He ran for three 2 point conversions and caught a pass for a 2 point conversion as well.
Cappelletti ran from the backfield for a 2 yard gain in the Patriots 41-10 loss to the Oakland Raiders on 10-06-68. He advanced a lateral from Jim Colclough (who had just caught a 37 yard pass) 14 yards before lateraling the ball to Ron Burton who advanced it another 7 yards in the Patriots 43-43 tie with the Oakland Raiders
at Fenway Park
on 10-16-64. He ran for a 4 yard gain on a wide receiver reverse in the Patriots 12-7 win over the Denver Broncos
at Fenway Park on 11-20-64.
Cappelletti caught a pass for a 2 point conversion and scored 24 points in the Patriots 36-28 win over the 1964 AFL Champion Buffalo Bills
on 11-15-64. Gino scored 21 points in their 33-28 win over the 1963 AFL Champion San Diego Chargers on 09-20-64. He scored 18 points or more in a game 10 times and scored at least 20 points in a game 8 times. He set the AFL record by scoring 28 points in a game in the Patriots 42-14 rout of the Houston Oilers on 12-18-65.
He averaged 9.5 points per game over a 6-year period. (The Patriots record was 47-29-8 over these 6 seasons)
No other Professional Football player has averaged more points per game over a 6-year period; and he averaged 7.5 points per game over an 11-year period, while no other player has averaged more points per game over an 11-year period. Cappelletti accounted for at least 34% of his teams total points scored over an 8-year period. No other Professional Football player has done that.
Cappelletti is tied with Lance Alworth
for the most career points scored in AFL All Star Games, and is the only player in Professional Football history to run for a 2-point conversion, throw a pass for a 2-point conversion, catch a pass, intercept a pass and return a punt and a kickoff in the same season.
He kicked 6 field goals (without a miss) in the Patriots 39-10 rout of the Denver Broncos on 10-04-64. He was 1 of only 2 AFL kickers to kick at least 4 field goals in a game for 3 consecutive games. He kicked the longest field goal in the AFL in consecutive seasons. He kicked 12 field goals with less than 30 seconds to go in the 1st half and kicked 4 game winning field goals and 1 game tying field goal. He led the AFL with the best field goal percentage in 1965.
Gino Cappelletti is the All-Time Points leader in AFL history.
One of his three sons-in-law is ex-Boston College
and Chicago Bears
standout Tom Waddle
.
In 1984, Cappelletti was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. In spite of his star qualty, his numerous records, his all-around skills and his uniqueness, like other worthy American Football League players he is still continually passed over by the selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
as a color commentator for the Patriots' radio broadcasts on the Patriots Radio Network. Gino is also famous for being the color commentator of the Boston College Eagles during the 1984 game between
the University of Miami
and Boston College yelling "He got it!, He got it!, I don't believe it!".
Professional football
In the United States and Canada, the term professional football includes the professional forms of American and Canadian gridiron football. In common usage, it refers to former and existing major football leagues in either country...
player. He played at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, and was a star in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
for the Boston Patriots. He was the 1964 American Football League Most Valuable Player
American Football League Most Valuable Players
During its ten-year existence , the American Football League's best player for each year was called the Most Valuable Player by some sports-news sources and the Player of the Year by others...
, a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame and of their All-1960s Team, the American Football League Hall of Fame, and a present announcer for the radio broadcasts of the Patriots' games.
College career
Cappelletti attended the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, finishing his career there in 1954 as quarterback, in addition to his placekicking duties. Gino kicked just one field goal in his college career.
Professional Football career
Cappelletti played quarterback for the Sarnia ImperialsSarnia Imperials
The Sarnia Imperials were a football team from Sarnia, Ontario and a member of the Ontario Rugby Football Union, a league that preceded the Canadian Football League and contested for the Grey Cup until 1955...
of the ORFU
Orfu
Orfű is a village in Baranya county, Hungary. The settlement is a well-known pleasure resort.- External links :* *...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
during 1955. He joined Toronto Balmy Beach in 1956, but was drafted into the U.S. Army in mid-season, returning to Canada in 1958. Cappelletti signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
of the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, but was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
, later cut, and went back to the ORFU, leading the Sarnia Golden Bears (the team changed its name in 1956) to the league championship.
Eventually, and most notably, he played for the AFL's Boston Patriots from 1960 through 1970 and was the Patriots' all-time leading scorer with 1,130 points (42 TDs, 176 FGs and 342 PATs), until December 5, 2005, when Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
kicked his second field goal of the game against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Cappelletti led the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
in scoring five times and led or tied the NFL in scoring 5 times as well. He had two of the top five scoring seasons in pro football history – 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961 (14-game seasons). Nicknamed the "Duke", he is the all-time leading scorer in the American Football League. Cappelletti is among the AFL's all-time top ten receivers, in yards and in receptions. He is the Patriots' third all-time leading receiver with 292 catches for 4,589 yards, and has attempted more field goals (334) than any other player in team history. During his pro career, he also returned punts and kickoffs, played defensive back, and even had one pass completion, for a touchdown. He holds the Professional Football record for most touchdowns in Saturday games (10).
The Wide Receiver/Quarterback relationship of Gino Cappelletti and Babe Parilli
Babe Parilli
-Biography:Parilli was born in the Pittsburgh industrial suburb of Rochester, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Kentucky as an All-American starting quarterback for the Wildcats under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant....
was nicknamed "Grand Opera."
Cappelletti was the American Football League's Most Valuable Player
American Football League Most Valuable Players
During its ten-year existence , the American Football League's best player for each year was called the Most Valuable Player by some sports-news sources and the Player of the Year by others...
in 1964, and a five-time AFL All-Star
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
. He is one of only twenty players who were in the American Football League for its entire ten-year existence, and one of three who played in every game their teams played in the AFL. He was the 2nd AFL Player to have 3 interceptions (of Tom Flores
Tom Flores
Thomas R. "Tom" Flores is a retired American football quarterback and coach. Flores and Mike Ditka are the only two people in the National Football League history to win a Super Bowl as a player, as an assistant coach, and as a head coach...
) in a regular season game. He had a 37 yard kickoff return in the Patriots 37-21 loss to the Houston Oilers on 12-18-60. He completed a 2 point pass to "Cowboy" Jim Crawford in the Patriots 35-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Chargers on 10-08-60. Gino completed a 27 yard fake field goal touchdown pass to Larry Garron in the Patriots 37-30 loss to the New York Titans
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on 10-01-61. He ran for three 2 point conversions and caught a pass for a 2 point conversion as well.
Cappelletti ran from the backfield for a 2 yard gain in the Patriots 41-10 loss to the Oakland Raiders on 10-06-68. He advanced a lateral from Jim Colclough (who had just caught a 37 yard pass) 14 yards before lateraling the ball to Ron Burton who advanced it another 7 yards in the Patriots 43-43 tie with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
on 10-16-64. He ran for a 4 yard gain on a wide receiver reverse in the Patriots 12-7 win over the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Fenway Park on 11-20-64.
Cappelletti caught a pass for a 2 point conversion and scored 24 points in the Patriots 36-28 win over the 1964 AFL Champion Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on 11-15-64. Gino scored 21 points in their 33-28 win over the 1963 AFL Champion San Diego Chargers on 09-20-64. He scored 18 points or more in a game 10 times and scored at least 20 points in a game 8 times. He set the AFL record by scoring 28 points in a game in the Patriots 42-14 rout of the Houston Oilers on 12-18-65.
He averaged 9.5 points per game over a 6-year period. (The Patriots record was 47-29-8 over these 6 seasons)
No other Professional Football player has averaged more points per game over a 6-year period; and he averaged 7.5 points per game over an 11-year period, while no other player has averaged more points per game over an 11-year period. Cappelletti accounted for at least 34% of his teams total points scored over an 8-year period. No other Professional Football player has done that.
Cappelletti is tied with Lance Alworth
Lance Alworth
Lance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
for the most career points scored in AFL All Star Games, and is the only player in Professional Football history to run for a 2-point conversion, throw a pass for a 2-point conversion, catch a pass, intercept a pass and return a punt and a kickoff in the same season.
He kicked 6 field goals (without a miss) in the Patriots 39-10 rout of the Denver Broncos on 10-04-64. He was 1 of only 2 AFL kickers to kick at least 4 field goals in a game for 3 consecutive games. He kicked the longest field goal in the AFL in consecutive seasons. He kicked 12 field goals with less than 30 seconds to go in the 1st half and kicked 4 game winning field goals and 1 game tying field goal. He led the AFL with the best field goal percentage in 1965.
Gino Cappelletti is the All-Time Points leader in AFL history.
One of his three sons-in-law is ex-Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
standout Tom Waddle
Tom Waddle
Gregory Thomas Waddle is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL. Waddle is currently a co host of "Waddle and Silvy" on ESPN 1000, as well as co-hosting "The Final Word" on WFLD FOX Chicago. He also appears on Pro Football Weekly and NFL Network. He spent his entire six year career...
.
In 1984, Cappelletti was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. In spite of his star qualty, his numerous records, his all-around skills and his uniqueness, like other worthy American Football League players he is still continually passed over by the selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Broadcasting
Gino Cappelletti currently works alongside Gil SantosGil Santos
Gil Santos is the longtime radio play-by-play announcer for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, and morning sports reporter for WBZ radio in Boston. He retired from WBZ on January 30, 2009. Santos was inducted into the WBZ Radio Hall of Fame on July 9, 2009...
as a color commentator for the Patriots' radio broadcasts on the Patriots Radio Network. Gino is also famous for being the color commentator of the Boston College Eagles during the 1984 game between
the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and Boston College yelling "He got it!, He got it!, I don't believe it!".