John R. Cappelletti

John Cappelletti was a stong running back.

When someone says the word hero, immediately, everyone starts thinking of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man and many other superheroes. But when I hear the word hero, I think of John Cappelletti. Some of you might not know who John Cappelletti is. He was a running back for Penn State and won the Heisman trophy in 1973. He was the 11th pick in the 1973 NFL Draft and played for the Los Angles Rams and the San Diego Chargers for 11 seasons in the NFL. But what he’s famous for is dedicating all of his stats and awards to his brother Joey. Joey wasn’t a normal kid. He was sick with leukemia and everyone knew he was going to die. But he showed courage through those times until he died on April 8, 1976.

John was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 9, 1952. He attended Monsignor Bonner High School in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. When he learned his younger brother had leukemia, he was obviously upset. During his senior season at Penn State, he dedicated everything to Joey. On Joey’s birthday, he wished for his older brother to score four touchdowns in one game. Cappelletti did just that. Joey wanted another four touchdown game later in the year and he got that.

John Cappelletti was known for being pretty big and strong (6’1”, 206 lb.). He was also kind, brave, loyal, smart, and caring. He tried to protect his brother Joey from everything. Joey returned the favor by cheering John during his football games at Penn State. As coach Joe Paterno says, “He’s the best player I’ve ever coached.” But John had to be brave, smart and strong because one, he’s a football player and two, his brother was dying of leukemia.

In 1973, Cappelletti ran for 1,522 yards and got 17 touchdowns. He would remember eight of them. After all, he dedicated eight of them to Joey. He won the Maxwell trophy and the Heisman. When he won, he had to give a speech. His speech was about Joey. He said how he has leukemia and that he’s dying of as they spoke. He also said that he’s dedicating everything to him and that it was Joey’s Heisman trophy. Everyone there was crying or had tears in there eyes. No other hero that I know of would dedicate all of their fame and awards to someone in need and can make a room full of grown men cry. That’s basically why he’s a hero.

Not only was he a great athlete, getting awards and great stats (He was in the top five career rushing yards for Penn State running backs), he was also a great person. In the book A Hero’s Trail, the author mentions five types of heroes. Cappelletti would be the type called a hero to those near and far. Not only to his brother, Joey, but to other kids in America and in the world he was a hero. He had almost all of the qualities a hero must have. This is why John Cappelletti is not only my hero but a true hero.