#1 John Cappelletti

john-cappelletti_heisman

Here we are, the final blog post of the year and, for that matter, of this class. It has been a long journey of many digital characters, pictures, puns, and whatever else you would like to use to define blog posting. All and all, it has been quite enjoyable for me and I hope you, the reader or classmate, has enjoyed these posts as well.

A fitting end to the series of top Penn State football players would be the 1977 Heisman trophy winner, John Cappelletti. John was one of the most powerful runners in college football history. Coming from the defensive side of the football, John certainly had the size to succeed at the running back position. When he finally was given the ball, he was absolutely unstoppable. John never went down on the first hit, usually requiring 4-5 tacklers to be taken down. Despite the fact that he had 35-40 carries a game, he racked up 100 yard after 100 yard game in another undefeated season for Penn State(one in which they were not even considered for the national championship, being ranked #5 at 11-0). John finished his 1977 senior season with nearly 1600 yards rushing, and 17 rushing touchdowns. He dedicated his Heisman trophy to his younger brother Joey who was dying of Leukemia at the time. His acceptance speech is still remembered in sports and Penn State lore as one of the most emotional of all time. John remains Penn State’s one and only Heisman trophy winner and, therefore in my book, he is the greatest Penn State football player of all time. Regardless of ability or statistics, no man embodies Penn State football tradition or excellence more then John Cappelletti. Unfortunately, because John is one of the older players on this list, there is no existing highlight film of  him. Yet if you get a chance, look up his Heisman speech because you will be able to find that.

One more thing I want to put in my blog post before I sign off for good: everyone please buy season tickets for the football games for this upcoming 2013 season. The student section is always packed and we have a reputation for being the toughest home crowd in the country. Lets keep showing the world who we truly are, and that is and always will be Penn State.

 

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