FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Gino "The Duke" Cappelletti, a member of the original Boston Patriots in 1960 and the all-time leading scorer in the American Football League's history, has decided to retire from the Patriots radio broadcast team after 32 years as the team's iconic color analyst. "There will never be another Gino Cappelletti," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "In our 52-year history, Gino served as a player, coach or color analyst for 45 of those seasons. I remember watching him play as an original Boston Patriot in 1960. He quickly became one of the biggest stars of the fledgling American Football League. He retired as the league's all-time leading scorer and deserves special recognition, not just for being one of the pioneers of the AFL, but for creating the foundation from which our franchise was built. He has been a great ambassador for the Patriots over a career that spanned six decades. His legend has grown since he retired as a player, as generations of Patriots fans have grown up listening to him provide insight and analysis of many of the most memorable games in franchise history. While he may be stepping down as a broadcaster, he will always be a Patriots ambassador and will remain one of the most iconic figures in franchise history."
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick added, "Going back to his days as one of the all-time great players, Gino has been such a fixture, so it is hard imagining not working with him on a regular basis. I have been fortunate to enjoy Gino's presence and share experiences that extend well beyond the game. Around the team, he wasn't just a broadcaster but was – and remains – truly part of the team, respected by players and coaches for representing everything good about sports. Gino is a class act, one of the true gentlemen of the AFL and NFL and I am proud to have been associated with him every week of my career as Patriots head coach."
A member of the Patriots Hall of Fame since 1992, Cappelletti spent his entire 11-year career with the Patriots from 1960-70 after joining the team from the University of Minnesota. He went on to earn five all-star selections as well as the AFL's Most Valuable Player Award in 1964.
Cappelletti is one of only three players to play in every AFL game in the league's 10-year history. He finished as the AFL's all-time leader in points (1,100) and field goals (170). Cappelletti led the AFL in scoring five times and had two of the top five scoring seasons in AFL history – 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961.
He is currently ranked second on the Patriots' all-time scoring list with 1,130 points, second in extra point with 342, ninth in receiving with 292 catches and eighth with 4,589 receiving yards.
Following his playing career, Cappellletti spent seven seasons (1972-78) in the broadcast booth before returning to the sidelines as the special teams coach from 1979 through the 1981 season on Ron Erhardt's staff. He returned to the broadcast booth in 1988, where he remained through the 2011 season.
