It’s not every day you get to hang out with a Heisman Trophy winner. There have been only 75 of them since 1935.
It’s even rarer still to get to hang out with Penn State’s one and only Heisman winner, John Cappelletti — especially since he lives in Southern California and doesn’t get back this way too often.
It’s even more special to get to be around his family, especially his mom, Anna, and to feel so welcomed by this genuinely down-to-earth part of the Penn State family.
I got to know John a lot better during my years with the Nittany Lion Club and I’d like to think we became fast friends because we share not only our Italian heritage and Penn State, but a passion for the sport of hockey as well.
You see, trapped inside that legendary Penn State football body was a Philadelphia Flyer wannabe. John used to play floor hockey back in the dorm hallway with former Nittany Lion Icer Bill Charles in 1971 (and I hear he had a wicked shot and busted a few of Bill’s old wooden sticks in the process!). After his football days, ended John took up adult ice hockey and a few of his sons played youth hockey while in California.
A few months ago our new Penn State hockey head coach, Guy Gadowsky, was out in California on a recruiting trip and was able to visit with Cappy. When Guy returned he just gushed over what a great person Cappy was and how he had no ego at all and was so sincere.
By now, you have probably figured out where this is going. The marketing wiz in me (ha!) put this all together and decided if Cappy ever came out east, we needed to get him involved with our new hockey program in some fashion. Then I heard the rumors about the Heisman Tour coming to Happy Valley, and the creative juices got flowing.
CALLING CAPPY
Cappy lost his father, John Sr., in April 2011, and having grown up in a close-knit Italian family I can tell you how tough it is when a family loses such a beloved member. So when I found out Cappy was coming back east for the Iowa game, I found myself in a bit of a quandary, because I know how little time he gets to spend with his family. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided that “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” So I gave John a call.
The first thing you notice about John when you speak with him on the phone is that he has this voice that is just immediately recognizable and while it is imposing, it is simultaneously disarming. His “just one of the guys” persona takes over and relaxes the person invading his private space (that would be me!). John is just such a good person and such a class act, I wondered to myself if I was being fair to him. But it didn’t take long for John to agree to help us out. After all he is a true blue Penn Stater and an avid hockey fan.
I initially asked John if he would be willing to stop by the rink or the BJC to tape an endorsement of the hockey team and the new Pegula Arena that we’ll be playing in fall of 2013. Before too long, he was agreeing to drop the ceremonial first puck to start the 2011-12 season for the Icers. When John and his family arrived we snuck them in the Zamboni entrance and we presented John with his very own official No. 22 blue game jersey — complete with the correct spelling of his name. Cappy donned the jersey and did a terrific taped interview for us promoting PSU hockey and thanking the Pegulas that will be up on our www.gopsusports.com hockey website soon.
Cappy visited the coaches during their pre-game staff meeting and took photos with some of the youngsters at the game, including Mac and Magnus, Coach Gadowsky’s young boys. John then surprised the team by paying them a visit in the locker room and giving them a pep talk. If you are a rookie sitting in our tiny bare bones locker room and in walks Penn State’s only Heisman trophy winner wearing a Penn State hockey jersey, you must be saying to yourself “Did I make the right decision coming to PSU or what!”
CEREMONIAL CAPPY
Full disclosure: John was a little nervous about walking out on a flimsy rolled-out carpet that didn’t exactly seem to be staying in one place. As John was introduced to a standing ovation from the packed Ice Pavilion crowd, he began to realize that wearing dress shoes with a flat sole was probably going to make life interesting for him. Everything went off without a hitch, though, as senior Icer Paul Daley handed him his souvenir puck — which I hope will occupy some place of honor in his house.
Overall, we had a great first game last Friday night, packed house and all. Cappy dropped the first puck, Tim Hortons executives were in for the game (with their coffee served in the rink), 95.3WZ FM broadcast the contest live, and most importantly, there was a 12-1 win. Following the game the coaches and some of the players delivered pizza and played street hockey with the students at Paternoville.
For the record, I want to thank John and his family for helping us to promote hockey and for taking time away from visiting with his family to spend a little time with the Penn State ice hockey family.
In case you aren’t up on your Penn State and Heisman history, visit two websites that will take your opinion of John and his family to even greater heights. I made my family watch the movie “Something for Joey,” the story of John’s relationship with his younger brother Joey, who died from childhood leukemia in 1976. John dedicated his HeismanTtrophy to Joey in one of the most emotional and selfless speeches in the annals of sports.
Here is John’s Heisman Trophy speech.
And this is his official website.
ICE CHIPS
Terry Pegula’s Buffalo Sabres won their season opener 4-1 over the Anaheim Ducks in Helsinki, Finland, and beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 in Germany, so he was certainly fired up after the quick 2-0 start to their season. The Pens and the Flyers are both winning and youth hockey seasons are up and running all over the state of PA!
Overall, it was a good start to the hockey season. It didn’t hurt that while walking through some tailgates on the Saturday of the Iowa game, I came across a wondrous sight. Bubble hockey at a tailgate in Happy Valley! Who would have thunk it?
So I am off to Chicago and Champaign, Ill., to take in a Blackhawks game with some ice hockey alums, to meet with members of the Illinois athletics staff, and take in a couple of tough games with our old foes, the Illini, on the “Big Pond” – their rink that is some 30 feet wider than a standard NHL-sized ice rink.
Talk about your home “ICE” advantages – and lots of it!
