John Cappelletti’s Heisman Speech Ranked As No. 10 Greatest Inspiring Moment In College Football History
Penn State football legend John Cappelletti’s moving Heisman Trophy acceptance speech was ranked as the No. 10 greatest inspiring moment in college football history by ESPN.
ESPN is running a “#CFB150” series to commemorate the sport’s 150th anniversary. The series will include a number of countdown lists like this one throughout the 2019 season.
John Cappelletti is the only player in Penn State football history to ever capture the Heisman Trophy as college football’s most outstanding player. He won the award in 1973 after posting 1,522 rushing yards and 17 scores in a season that the Nittany Lions finished undefeated. The 1973 season is one of 16 recognized among the greatest in program history on Beaver Stadium’s facade, and Cappelletti became the first and only Penn State football player to have his jersey number retired in 2013.
Although Cappelletti was dominant on the gridiron for Joe Paterno’s team, he was more well-known for the inspirational story surrounding that magical 1973 season.
The running back’s younger brother, Joey, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of three. Joey Cappelletti was one of the first patients to undergo chemotherapy as a cancer treatment, but he passed away due to his ailment at the age of 14 in 1976. During his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, John held back tears as he talked about his little brother.
“If I can dedicate this trophy to him tonight and give him a couple days of happiness, this is worth everything,” Cappelletti said during his speech. “I think a lot of people think that I go through a lot on Saturdays and during the week as most athletes do. You get your bumps and bruises, and it is a terrific battle out there on the field. Only for me, it is on Saturdays and it’s only in the fall.
“For Joseph, it is all year round, and it is a battle that is unending with him. He puts up with much more than I’ll ever put up with, and I think that this trophy is more his than mine because he has been a great inspiration to me.”
A straight-to-TV movie called “Something For Joey” was released in 1977, and it chronicled the bond between the two brothers during John’s football career at Penn State.
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