Penn State Sports Magazine
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D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 6 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "In all the years this school has been here, for me to be the one to have the jersey retired, it's unbelievable. It's hard to comprehend." C A P P E L L E T T I of the Heisman race with a string of big games late in the year. Cappelletti gained 202 yards against Maryland, 231 against NC State, 204 against Ohio and 161 against Pitt in the regular-season finale. The big numbers were a result of Penn State's decision to rely on him to carry its offense. Cappelletti set a school re- cord with 37 rushing attempts against the Terrapins, and he broke it a week later with 41 carries against the Wolfpack. The approach worked beautifully. Penn State went 11-0 during the regular season, wrapping it up with a 35-13 vic- tory over Pitt at Beaver Stadium. Asked by sportswriters after the win over the Panthers to describe Cappelletti's con- tribution, Joe Paterno said he's "the kind of guy who makes you unde- feated." The Heisman voters concurred. When the votes of the 1,075 electors were tallied on Dec. 4, Cappelletti totaled 1,057 points. He received 229 first-place votes to outpace Ohio State offensive tackle John Hicks, Texas running back Roo- sevelt Leaks, Kansas quarterback David Jaynes and, in fifth place, a promising sophomore running back from Ohio State named Ar- chie Griffin. 'A Great Inspiration' As much as for his on-field per- formance, Cappelletti's historic, Heisman-winning season is re- membered for the moving accep- tance speech he gave at the New York Hilton on Dec. 13. He started by thanking his parents, his high school and college coaches and his teammates. Then, holding back tears, Cappelletti told the crowd that the award truly belonged to his 11-year-old brother Joey, who was battling leukemia. "If I can dedicate this trophy to him tonight and give him a couple days of happiness, this is worth everything," Cappelletti said. "I think a lot of people think that I go through a lot on Satur- days and during the week, as most ath- letes do, and you get your bumps and bruises and it's a terrific battle out there on the field. "Only for me, it's on Saturdays and it's only in the fall. For Joseph, it's all year round, and it's a battle that is un- ending with him and he puts up with much more than I'll ever put up with, and I think this trophy is more his than mine because he has been a great inspi- ration to me." Joey Cappelletti died in April 1976. A TV movie depicting the relation- ship between the Cappelletti brothers, "Something For Joey," aired on CBS the following year. The movie has faded from memory, but the story behind it has resonated with generations of Penn State fans, to the point that half a century after his great achievement, John Cappelletti re- mains one of the most beloved figures in the history of Penn State's football program. A Singular Career He is also the only player in program history to have his jersey retired. Penn State did that on the 40th anniversary of his Heisman-winning season, an- nouncing in 2013 that no future Nit- tany Lion football player would wear No. 22. Running back Akeel Lynch, a redshirt freshman at the time, was grandfa- thered in, having worn that jersey since his arrival. Lynch ended up transferring to Nevada ahead of the 2016 season. Since his exit, no Penn State player has donned No. 22. "In all the years this school has been here, for me to be the one to have the jersey retired, it's unbe- lievable," Cappelletti said when he was saluted during Penn State's 2013 home opener against Eastern Michigan. "It's hard to comprehend right now." Although he played only two seasons on offense, Cappelletti still ranks 12th at Penn State in ca- reer rushing yards with 2,639. His senior season remains one of the best by any running back in school history, with his yardage total ranking fourth all-time, trailing only Carter (1,539 yards in 1994), Mitchell (1,567 in 1971) and John- son (2,087 in 2002). Those numbers, combined with his stature within the Penn State community, make it only natu- ral that Cappelletti should be the lone Penn State football player to have his number retired. There may be more Heisman Trophy winners at Penn State someday, but there will only ever be one John Cappelletti. ■ Cappelletti finished with 1,522 rushing yards in 1973, a single-season total that still ranks fourth in school history. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS