Dec. 5, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., December 5, 2007 - Penn State's John Cappelletti will be featured tonight in a new CSTV documentary, "Heisman Tales: Roger Staubach and John Cappelletti."
The program will make its debut at 10:00 p.m. ET (Comcast Ch. 274 in Centre Region) with repeat airings throughout December.
A record-setting running back, Cappelletti captured the Heisman Trophy in 1973.
In addition to Cappelletti, among the others interviewed for the program were Coach Joe Paterno and former offensive coordinator Fran Ganter. Also interviewed was Budd Thalman, who was the Sports Information Director at Navy when Staubach won the 1963 Heisman and who joined the Penn State athletic administration in 1986, helping Cappelletti gain induction into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Cappelletti will forever be linked to the Heisman Trophy for his emotional acceptance speech on December 13, 1973, dedicating the award to his younger brother, Joseph, who was suffering from leukemia. Joseph passed away in 1976. He out-distanced Ohio State lineman John Hicks and Texas running back Roosevelt Leaks for the Heisman.
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993, Cappelletti was a consensus All-American as a senior in 1973, leading the NIttany Lions to the first 12-0 season in school history, capped by a win over LSU in the Orange Bowl.
He ran for 1,522 yards and 17 touchdowns in `73. He strung together a school record three consecutive 200-yard rushing games late in the season, topped by his 220-yard, three-TD effort in a 35-29 win vs. North Carolina State. Cappelletti's 41 rushing attempts in the contest remain a school record.
Following his brilliant 1973 campaign, Cappelletti also was awarded the Maxwell Trophy and selected as Player of the Year by ABC-TV, United Press International, the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association, the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Washington Touchdown Club.
A product of Upper Darby, Pa. and Monsignor Bonner HS, Cappelletti played defensive back as a sophomore in 1971 when the Nittany Lions had a couple of other running backs of note: Franco Harris and Lydell Mitchell. In his two years as a running back, Cappelletti rushed for 2,639 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 207 yards and one score. Cappelletti's 1,522 yards as a senior are third-best in school history, with Mitchell's 1,567 in `71 the leader, while his career yardage is eighth-highest.
A first round draft choice of the NFL Los Angeles Rams, Cappelletti played for 10 seasons in the professional ranks, six with the Rams and four with the San Diego Chargers.