Field Level Media
13 May 2022, 01:49 GMT+10
Longtime Patriots wide receiver and kicker Gino "The Duke" Cappelletti died Thursday at age 89.
An original member of the Boston Patriots in 1960, Cappelletti was the American Football League's MVP in 1964 and was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 1992.
"My heart aches after learning of Gino Cappelletti's passing this morning," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a news release announcing Cappelletti's passing. "For the first 51 years of this franchise's history, Gino contributed as an all-star player, assistant coach and broadcaster. You couldn't be a Patriots fan during that era and not be a fan of Gino's. The Patriots have had many iconic, fan-favorite players over the years. Gino was the first.
"... As great of a player as he was, he was an even better person and storyteller. On behalf of my family and the entire Patriots organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Gino's wife, Sandy, their three daughters, Gina, Cara and Christina, and their 10 grandchildren, as well as the many others who will be mourning his loss."
Cappelletti was one of three players to play in every game during the AFL's 10-year history, along with Jim Otto and George Blanda. He retired as the AFL's all-time leader in points (1,100) and field goals (170).
A five-time AFL All-Star, he led the league in scoring five times and holds the top two scoring seasons in AFL history with 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961. He holds the Patriots' single-game record for points in a game with 28 on Dec. 18, 1965 against the Houston Oilers (four field goals, four extra points and two touchdown catches).
Cappelletti still ranks third all-time in Patriots history in scoring with 1,130 career points. He also ranks 10th with 292 receptions and 12th with 4,589 receiving yards.
Following his playing career, Cappelletti spent seven seasons (1972-78) in the broadcast booth before returning to the sidelines as the special teams coach from 1979-81. He returned to broadcasting from 1988-2011.
He was raised in Keewatin, Minn., and played college football at the University of Minnesota.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Broadcast Communications news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Broadcast Communications.
More InformationNEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
PARIS, France: Fast-fashion giant Shein has been fined 40 million euros by France's antitrust authority over deceptive discount practices...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
Birmingham [UK], July 7 (ANI): Indian pacer Akash Deep mesmerised one and all with a ten-wicket haul in a critic-silencing, era-defining...
Birmingham [UK], July 7 (ANI): Following his side's win over England, Indian pacer Akash Deep revealed that he played the match because...
Paris is withdrawing its troops after the African country scrapped a decades-old defense agreement France has handed over a military...
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): On the occasion of the approval of the new 'Khelo Bharat Niti 2025', Prime Minister Narendra Modi...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 1 (ANI): The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) opens admissions for its first batch...
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): In a significant step to bolster India's research and innovation ecosystem, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday...