Gino Cappelletti meant so much to pro football, much of which has never even been mentioned by anyone, that I'm compelled to spell out as much of it as I can. I feel qualified because I WAS around in 1960 when the AFL, and the BOSTON Patriots were founded. More about that later but first I'll give you Cappelletti's stats and compare them with some big names that ARE in the Hall.
First off, Gino made the team as a defensive back and shared the record, for years with several other Dbacks, of 3 interceptions in one game (making the first AFL all star team.)
After becoming a pass receiver, he won the season's scoring title FOUR of the six years the AFL was in existence (before the merger). He set the scoring record of 156 points in the season then broke it with 162. Among the top six highest scoring seasons Gino appears TWICE.
The top three CAREER points-per-game averages of players already in the Hall (Hornung, Stenarude Blanda) are well below six points per game. Cappelletti's CAREER scoring average, is an astounding 7.4 points per game.
ALSO, Gino is the only man to AVERAGE over 100 points per season for his ENTIRE CAREER which lasted for eleven years. And, lest I forget, he never missed a game in his career.
In 1963, when Cappelletti was voted MVP of the league, there were a few other wide receivers who were better. Lance Alworth, nicknamed "Bambi," comes to mind. The big problem was...how do we leave Cappelletti OFF the team? The answer was...create another position in the voting for special teams players!! So, for all you youngsters who don't know football history, when you look at the roster of NFL allstars that include all those special teams guys that wouldn't have otherwise been on the team...you can thank Gino Cappelletti for helping to change football history.
Speaking of "changing NFL history".....the city of Boston has been hated by all the powers of the NFL going all the way back to the 40's and 50's because the city would not support a pro football team. That's right THREE came and went bust or had to move, the Boston Yankees (can you baseball fans imagine that name) AND, most notably, the Boston Redskins. Yes, that's the same team that is now forced to play in Washington D.C. When Billy Sullivan tried to get an expansion team into the NFL they said absolutely not. Others tried also but to no avail.
When the AFL was being formed Billy Sullivan, who was a great PR man but had no money, looked for investors to come up with the $250,000 entry fee. (can you imagine that low figure?) He got it done with a big thanks to Domenic DiMaggio who was a financial whiz. Sullivan's idea was to get ten investors at $25,000 each. DiMaggio not only bought three shares ($75,000) but got a $25,000 loan for Billy Sullivan so HE could buy in. When I spoke to Dom, a couple of years before he died, he said it was not an altruistic act on his part but simply a good business deal. Whatever it certainly worked out well for the Sullivans AND the city of Boston. Non other than Will McDonough, legendary sportswriter for the Boston Globe, told me that without DiMaggio, (who loved Boston so much from his days with the Red Sox that he spent the rest of his life here) Boston doesn't get the team.
Back to Gino Cappelletti...getting the franchise was one thing but keeping it here in Boston was another. Boston demanded winning teams like the Celtics, Bruins and even the Sox. If the Patriots got run out of Boston that could have very well been the end of the AFL. There would be no merger and no, God forbid, Super Bowl. Think about it. Life without OUR Patriots and superbowls.
Red Auerbach often said, " to have a winning team you must first build a team. Gino, who was know as "Duke" for his classy style and leadership qualities, was perhaps the biggest part in that system that formed the team Boston took to their hearts and came to love. Football fans no longer had to root for the N.Y. Giants (since they were the closest to Boston THEY were our home team.)
We now had our own Boston Patriots to cheer for win or lose.
They were a scrappy bunch but quickly, under the guidence of Mike Holovak, former B.C. player then head coach, who put together a very good defense, especially their front four linemen, they started to gain some momentum.They also started to develop a "swagger" (see Larry Bird) and a camaraderie that won the hearts of even, non-football fans. The off-field leader (as well as on) was Gino Cappelletti. Sportswriters, like Tim Horgan and Red Hoffman, (legendary sports editor for the Lynn Item) used to say Gino did everything to help the team but park cars and sell popcorn.
Gino had become so popular that when the opportunity to open a night spot in downtown Boston came along it was a "no-brainer." His "Point After" became one of the hottest spots in the country.
Because Gino was so friendly and accessible to anyone and everyone his, and the teams, popularity grew in leaps and bounds. Guys and girls (who now became Patriots fans) stood in lines a block long to get into the club. It was fun, classy and not rowdy as we've seen so often in these past few years.
Going to the "Point After" had become an event. He, and the team, had won the hearts of Boston and were here to stay. And, as they say, "The rest is history."
If all I've said here doesn't show that Gino Cappelletti belongs in the Football Hall of Fame then I think it's time to shut down the doors on Canton, Ohio.
Will McDonough told me that he had tried to get Gino on the old-timers ballot but the answers were always the same...He's AFL and he's from Boston. Will thought being Italian had something to do with it but never wanted to open that can of worms. He often said that the numbers alone, as compared to several already in the Hall should be the only factor but...let's not give up trying to get Gino Cappelletti enshrined in the Football Hall of Fame. For all that he's done and has been to the team and the NFL he most certainly deserves it. Pass it on, don't give up and..... Stay tuned.....