Two years before he won the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football, John Cappelletti was lining up as a defensive back. With seniors Lydell Mitchell ’72 Edu and Franco Harris ’72 H&HD starring in the backfield in 1971, Cappelletti, then a sophomore, played defense and returned kicks. But in ’72, he earned the starting job at running back and had a solid junior season; he went into his senior year confident about his team’s potential, and his own. Years later, Cappelletti ’74 H&HD would recall his head coach’s words that fall: “Joe always said ... if we focused on winning the game and had a good season as a team, individuals would get attention. Of course, that’s what happened.”

 

A SLOW START OUT WEST: Opening the season at Stanford with a performance that Joe Paterno called “jittery,” Cappelletti fumbled twice and the Lion offense stumbled out of the gate, leaving it to the defense to secure a 20-6 win. Penn State Archives.
A SLOW START OUT WEST: Opening the season at Stanford with a performance that Joe Paterno called “jittery,” Cappelletti fumbled twice and the Lion offense stumbled out of the gate, leaving it to the defense to secure a 20-6 win. Penn State Archives.
 

cover of something for joeyAs the season went on, in close games or blowouts, home or away, the story was the same: Cappelletti couldn’t be stopped. His inevitability took on added meaning in late October, when he scored four touchdowns against visiting West Virginia. The true story behind his record scoring day was dramatized a few years later in the TV movie and accompanying novelization Something for Joey: John asked his leukemia-stricken younger brother, Joseph, what he wanted for his birthday. Joey asked for four touchdowns in the Lions’ next game. Cappelletti scored three before Paterno pulled the starters; only after teammates let their coach in on Cappy’s promise did Paterno send his star back into the game. His fourth and final touchdown (below) followed soon after, promise kept.

 

Cappelletti scoring fourth touchdown against WVU, Penn State Archives
FOUR SCORE: In a 62-14 blowout of border rival West Virginia in October, Cappelletti ran 24 times for 130 yards and—as became clear later—four very meaningful touchdowns. Penn State Archives.

 

Cappelletti carries the ball against Army, Penn State Archives
FORWARD, MARCH: After Cappy ran for 151 yards on 17 carries in a 54-3 win, Army coach Tom Cahill said, "This is the best Penn State team we've seen, and Cappelletti is the best we've seen." Penn State Archives.

 

The best game of Cappelletti’s career came against North Carolina State (below), a 35-29 victory at Beaver Stadium in November 1973. A week after running 37 times for 202 yards against Maryland, he eclipsed his own school record, recording a staggering 41 carries for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the win. It was a testament to his toughness and seeming refusal to wear down—he missed just one game after partially separating his shoulder earlier in the season—and made clear just how much the Nittany Lions relied on their star running back. He would finish the season with 1,522 yards on 286 carries, a 5.3-yard average—better than halfway to a first down every time he touched the ball.

 

black and white photo of Cappelletti running with the ball against NC State, Special Collections Research Center at NC State University Libraries
Special Collections Research Center at NC State University Libraries

 

Cappelletti on sideline drinking water, photo by John Kennel / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
DIRTY WORK: Cappelletti closed out the regular season with 161 yards in a 35-13 win over rival Pitt that clinched the Lions' undefeated regular season. John Kenney / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

 

black and white photo of Cappelletti running with the ball by Penn State Archives
Penn State Archives

 

As the victories piled up, Cappelletti’s numbers were too much for Heisman voters to ignore. His acceptance speech at the award ceremony in New York that December remains distinctive in Heisman history, a tearful tribute to his parents, coaches, and teammates, and, most memorably, to the courage of his brother Joey, who was 13 years old when he died in 1976.

 

black and white photo of Cappelletti receiving the Heisman Trophy by Penn State Archives
MAN OF THE HOUR: Cappelletti traveled to New York City in December 1973 to accept the Heisman Trophy from then-Vice President Gerald Ford. Penn State Archives.

 

color photo of Cappelletti with Joe Paterno by Penn State Archives
FORMAL OPINION: Paterno’s assessment of his star left no doubt: “Cappy is the best player I have ever been around.” Penn State Archives.

 

Heisman program coverFifty years on, John Cappelletti remains Penn State’s only Heisman winner, and the only Nittany Lion to have his jersey number retired. And yet, as he told authors Lou Prato ’59 Com and Scott Brown ’94 Com for their book What It Means To Be A Nittany Lion, “I’m really not that much different from my teammates or anyone else who played football at Penn State.”

 

For more on Cappelletti's Heisman season, read "You're Something Else, John Cappelletti" from our January1974 issue.