Today In Patriots History August 31, 2019: Tedy Bruschi announces retirement after 13 seasons

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Tedy Bruschi retires​

August 31, 2013:
Tedy Bruschi announces his retirement

Pats’ ‘perfect player’ Bruschi announces retirement

FOXBORO – The Patriots said goodbye today to a man coach Bill Belichick called “the perfect player.” Linebacker Tedy Bruschi announced his retirement after a decorated 13-year career during an emotional, heart-felt news conference…

www.bostonherald.com

Bruschi announces retirement

New England Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi announced his retirement today, closing his 13-year career as one of the most productive Patriots players in the team's 50-year history.

www.patriots.com

New England Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi announced his retirement today, closing his 13-year career as one of the most productive Patriots players in the team's 50-year history. As a team captain, Bruschi's relentless work ethic and on-field intensity helped set the tone for the entire team.​

Bruschi, 36, was originally drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft. The Arizona product spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Patriots. Bruschi leaves the football field having played a major role in leading the Patriots to 11 winning records, including nine playoff seasons, eight division championships, five conference titles and three Super Bowl crowns. In Bruschi's 211 career games (including regular-season and playoffs), the Patriots had a 144-67 (.682) record, including a 16-6 (.727) playoff mark.​

Bruschi earned his first Pro Bowl honors following the 2004 season after co-captaining a Patriots defense that allowed just 16.25 points per game, the third fewest in franchise history. Bruschi is the only player in NFL history to return four consecutive interceptions for touchdowns and his career total of four picks returned for scores ranks second in Patriots history. He is tied for fourth in NFL history among linebackers, and Bruschi is the only Patriots linebacker to return multiple interceptions for scores in a single season (2002 and 2003).​

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Beyond his impressive numbers, fans and his peers revered him for his accomplishments off the field and for his dedication to the New England area. After Bruschi suffered a stroke in February 2005, he dedicated himself to raising funds and awareness to fight stroke along with the American Stroke Association. He established "Tedy's Team," a vehicle to help battle stroke, the number one cause of disability in the United States. Members of Tedy's Team have run in the Boston Marathon and the Falmouth Road Race and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for stroke research.​

Bruschi played in 189 regular-season games for the Patriots, more than any other linebacker in team history, third among all defensive players and sixth overall in team history. Bruschi played in 22 career playoff games, the highest total in Patriots history and tied for the second highest total of any active player (Adam Vinatieri, 23).​

For his career, Bruschi finished with 1,134 total tackles, 30.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, including four returned for touchdowns, 62 passes defensed, 18 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown and 55 special teams tackles. Bruschi averaged 105 tackles over the last six seasons. His 2003-2008 total of 631 stops are the most on the team over that span. Over that time, the Patriots allowed an average of 17.25 points per game, the second best total in the NFL.​

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Tedy Bruschi | The Patriots Hall of Fame

www.patriotshalloffame.com

 

[jlu52]

Nobody ever gave more than Tedy. He played with maximum effort on each and every play. He contributed greatly on championship teams, and he still defends the flag like he was playing. Bravo, Tedy Bruschi

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Gino Cappelletti retires​

August 31, 2013:
Gino Cappelletti holds a press conference announcing his retirement


The Duke stated that the decision to retire after 11 seasons was "partly the patriots and partly mine." Gino was the last of the original Boston Patriots, was one of 20 players active for all of the American Football League's ten years, and one of just three, along with legends George Blanda and Jim Otto, that played in every single one of their team's AFL games.

Mr. Patriot was the AFL's all-time leading scorer with 1,130 points (42 TDs, 176 FGs, and 342 PATs) and among the AFL's top-10 all-time receivers in yards and receptions. Cappelletti had two of the top-five scoring seasons in professional football history, with 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961 (14-game seasons). His Patriots team scoring record lasted until it was broken by Adam Vinatieri on December 5, 2005. At the time of his death in 2022, Cappelletti was the Patriots' 12th all-time-leading receiver in receptions with 292 catches and 10th in receiving yards with 4,589 yards. He was fifth in Patriots history in receiving touchdowns with 42, and had the second-most field goal attempts (333) in team history behind Stephen Gostkowski.

Left to right: Larry Garron, Patriots' first PR director, Gerry Moore, and Gino Cappelletti.
Photo from a preseason training camp in the 1960s.​

Cappy was the second AFL player to record three interceptions (off Tom Flores) in a regular-season game, scored 18 points or more in a game ten times, and scored 20 or more points in a game eight times. He also set the AFL single-game record by scoring 28 points in the Patriots' 42–14 rout of Houston on December 18, 1965. Cappelletti is the only player in pro football history to run for a two-point conversion, throw for a two-point conversion, catch a pass, intercept a pass, return a punt, and return a kickoff in the same season. He once kicked six field goals (without a miss) in a 39–10 win at Denver on October 4, 1964, and was one of only two AFL kickers to connect on at least four field goals in each of three consecutive games.

The 1960 Boston Patriots


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