The New England Patriots family suffered a loss on Thursday. One of the greats from the AFL days — yes, the Boston Patriots — Gino Cappelletti has died at the age of 89.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Patriots Hall of Famer, Gino Cappelletti: https://t.co/gtMjrhfdFF
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 12, 2022
Cappelletti was a huge part of the infancy of the organization.
He was a kicker and a wide receiver, catching 292 balls for 4,589 yards and 42 touchdowns.
Cappelletti earned the AFL 1964 Most Valuable Player award and was one of three players to play in every game in the AFL’s 10-year history, along with Jim Otto and George Blanda. Cappelletti finished his career as the AFL’s all-time leader in points (1,100) and field goals (170).
A five-time All-Star selection, he led the AFL in scoring five times and holds the top two scoring seasons in AFL history with 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a lengthy tribute:
“My heart aches after learning of Gino Cappelletti’s passing this morning. 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. I remember watching him play in 1960 and throughout his career. He was one of the AFL’s biggest stars, becoming the first Patriots player to earn league MVP honors and retiring as the league’s all-time leading scorer. He became the second player in franchise history to earn Patriots Hall of Fame induction and I will always believe he deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As great of a player as he was, he was an even better person and storyteller.”
Cappelletti was in the broadcast booth from 1972-to-78 for the team.
He was special teams coach from 1979-to-81 before returning to the broadcast booth in 1988, where he remained through the 2011 season.