The Patriots have been blessed with many great football players throughout their 60-plus year existence, but none was a bigger gentleman than Gino Cappelletti.
Cappelletti died on Thursday at the age of 89, leaving behind an impressive legacy as a husband, father, grandfather, player, coach, broadcaster and all-around ambassador of the game.
His on-field exploits are numerous as the AFL’s all-time leading scoring with over 1,000 career points in his 11 seasons with the Boston Patriots from 1960-70. He also spent time as a coach in the organization, heading up the special teams from 1979-81. Shortly thereafter he worked as a color analyst calling the games on radio, first alongside Dale Arnold and then as the long-time sidekick of his fellow Patriots Hall of Famer Gil Santos.
But as impressive as those accomplishments were, they pale in comparison to the man he was. Cappelletti, known affectionately as The Duke, was a gentleman’s gentleman. He was a pleasure to talk to regardless of…