FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Gino Cappelletti is an original member of The Boston PatriotsHe was the American Football League's Most Valuable Player for 1964 and 1960. The team reports that he was 89.
Cappelletti, Jim Otto, and George Blanda were the only players who played in every AFL game over its 10-year history.
He was a wide receiver and placekicker and finished his career as AFL's all time leader in field goals (170) and points (1,100). He was a Patriots player from 1960-1970, after he joined the team from the University of Minnesota.
Cappelletti moved from the field to the Patriots broadcast booth during the 1970s. He took a three year break to become the Patriots special team coach.
From 1988 to 2011, he returned to radio as an analyst, and his calls along with Gil Santos — particularly the Patriots' Super Bowl victory over Rams — were widely regarded by New England sports fans to be some of the best.
Gino played an integral role in the franchise's history for 51 years, as an assistant coach, player, and broadcaster. Robert Kraft, Patriots owner said that Gino's was the best Patriots player of all time. “The Patriots are proud to have many fan-favorite, iconic players over the years. Gino was the first.
We are very sad to hear about the passing of Gino Cappelletti, Patriots Hall of Famer. https://t.co/gtMjrhfdFF
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 12, 2022
Cappelletti, who was five-time AFL All-Star selection and led the AFL's scoring five times, holds the top two scoring seasons with 155 points and 147 in 1961. Cappelletti also holds the Patriots single game record for points in one game with 28, which he set against Houston on Dec. 18, 1965. Houston.).
In 1992, he was elected to the Hall of Fame.
