Age: 27
2nd
season in pro football & with Patriots
College: Minnesota
Height: 6’0” Weight: 190
Prelude:
A quarterback
in college, Cappelletti was undrafted by the NFL and played semi-pro football
in Canada before failing in a preseason tryout with the Detroit Lions. After
sitting out all of 1959, he made the Patriots of the new AFL as a defensive
back and placekicker. He intercepted four passes but was successful on just 8
of 21 field goal attempts. Cappelletti was shifted to split end on offense for
1961.
1961 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 45
[10]
Most
receptions, game – 6 (for 131 yds.) vs. Houston 10/13
Yards – 768
[9]
Most yards,
game – 131 (on 6 catches) vs. Houston 10/13
Average gain
– 17.1 [8]
TDs – 8 [5,
tied with Don Maynard]
100-yard
receiving games – 1
Passing
Attempts – 1
Completions –
1
Yards – 27
TD passes – 1
Interceptions
– 0
Kicking
Field goals –
17 [1]
Most field
goals, game – 3 at Buffalo 9/23, at NY Titans 10/1
Field goal
attempts – 32 [1]
Most field
goal attempts, game – 5 at NY Titans 10/1
Field goal
percentage – 53.1 [2]
PATs – 48 [2]
PAT attempts
– 50 [2]
Longest field
goal – 46 yards at Buffalo 9/23
Scoring
TDs – 8 [8,
tied with five others]
Field Goals –
17
PATs – 48
Points – 147
[1]
Awards & Honors:
2nd
team All-AFL: League, UPI, NY Daily News
AFL All-Star Game
Patriots went
9-4-1 to finish second in the AFL Eastern Division while ranking second in the
league in touchdowns (52, tied with San Diego) and scoring (411 points).
Aftermath:
Cappelletti
scored 128 points in 1962 and again led the league with 113 in ’63 (and also
again in field goals with 22). He was named an AFL All-Star for the second
time. Slow but sure-handed, he caught a career-high 49 passes for 865 yards and
7 TDs in 1964 while again topping the circuit with 25 field goals and in
scoring with 155 points. He received AFL Player of the Year honors from the
Associated Press and UPI. Cappelletti led the AFL in scoring over the next two
seasons as well (132 points in 1965, 119 in ’66), for a total of five times in
all, and had the league’s best field goal percentage in ‘65 (63.0). He was
named to the league All-Star game after the ’65 and ’66 seasons. Cappelletti played
a total of 11 seasons, all with the Patriots, and scored a total of 1130 points
(his 1100 points in the AFL were the most in league history), with a total of
42 TDs, 176 field goals, and 342 extra points. One of 20 players who were in
the AFL for all ten seasons, he also finished with 292 pass receptions for 4589
yards.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following
statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
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