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FOXBORO - From his unique perspective, Gino Cappelletti understood how difficult it was to choose this year's addition to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

"I heard Jon Morris say that it would be nice if all three got in," Cappelletti said Wednesday of nominees Morris, Jim Nance and Houston Antwine. "I kind of agreed with him if that was a possibility. But they have a policy and it's just one a year, and that's going to take some time now for a lot of the players to get in a lot of the people here really don't remember some of those players from those early years, and the foundation was built during that time."

But enough current fans of the Patriots remembered the dominant presence of Nance in the team's backfield from 1965 to 1971 to vote for him on the team's Web site, thus earning him the honor of becoming the 14th player and first running back to be enshrined.

Nance, who died on June 17, 1992, will be represented by his daughter, Rachel, at the Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony on the weekend of the preseason opener, Aug. 20-23.

Cappelletti, the current color commentator on WBCN-FM broadcasts of Patriots' games, was one of the first former Boston Patriots to join the team's hall of fame and played with all three of this year's nominees. "Of course, it was very emotional for me to hear that they were the finalists in this induction year, and it was difficult in that they all contributed to the success of the franchise in those early days, which were very critical," he said. "To see where that franchise has come to right now, under the direction of (team owner) Bob Kraft, you can say that it's being part of the foundation, to have three players be part of this year's election."

A panel of media members, former players and team officials selected the three nominees in March, choosing three players from the 1960s as part of the upcoming celebration of the 50th anniversaries of the American Football League and the Patriots franchise. Fans cast their votes until May 31, and the final tally favored the big fullback over two equally worthy greats of the Boston Patriots era.

"Jim Nance, of course, had an outstanding career for us," said Cappelletti, the all-time leading scorer of the AFL as a place-kicker and wide receiver. "He was very instrumental in his ability to offset the opposition with his running talents and his running ability. Of course, having a 4.9-yard average in 1966 is almost unheard of. The team responded to his leadership and his inspiration, so if I had to say if one had an edge, it would have been Jim Nance for all that he's contributed.

"Jon Morris, on the other hand, was a very important cog for the team as he manned the center position," Cappelletti continued. "He was also the long-snapper, and I can honestly say that he made me a better place-kicker because of his accuracy in snapping the ball. And Houston Antwine was a force defensively. Antwine played in the time of being an every-down player, not a situational player. He was quick as a cat and he was able to plug the holes and he was able to rush the passer.

"So, all three certainly had all of the qualifications to get in," he said. "Jim Nance, of course, really stood out and he made the Patriots a better team in those early, critical years."

Nance was selected by the Patriots in the 19th round of the 1965 AFL Draft, having led Syracuse in rushing in 1964 and tying Jim Brown's school record with 13 rushing touchdowns as a senior. In 1963 and 1965, he also earned All-America honors as the NCAA's heavyweight wrestling champion.

In just his second season with the Patriots (1966), he led the AFL with 1,458 yards rushing (a team record until Corey Dillon broke it in 2004) and earned league MVP honors. In the 10-year history of the AFL, Nance was the only player to eclipse the 1,400-yard plateau and his 104.1-yard rushing average per game that season remains a franchise record 43 years later.

At 6-foot-1 and weighing from 225 to over 240 pounds late in his career, Nance was a piledriving runner. Yet he also had five career runs from scrimmage of 50 yards or more, including three touchdowns. He rushed 299 times in 14 games in 1966, including a game against the Oakland Raiders in which he carried 38 times for 208 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 24-21 win. His attempts record was broken 31 years later by Curtis Martin, but remains second all-time and his 208 yards rushing remains second only to Tony Collins' 212 in 1983.

Cappelletti believes Nance in his prime could still be an effective player in today's game.

"He would be really recognized as a strong player and one of the top running backs in the game," he said. "We all know the game has changed, the evolution of the game, and all that is a part of the different types of football that's played today. But he had quickness and he had speed and he had size and he had power MVP in '66 as well, richly deserved, and I would say that exemplifies what kind of player he was. "He was a bigger Emmitt Smith, maybe," he added. "He could really just fly right through and then when he got going, that's where he was very difficult. It's pretty hard to make comparisons with the players of today, but he had speed, size and power."

Nance was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1972, but left New England as the franchise's all-time leading rusher in nearly every statistical category. His 45 career rushing touchdowns remain a franchise record. He later played in seven games for the New York Jets in 1973 and played his final two seasons in the World Football League, becoming that short-tenured league's all-time leading rusher with 2,007 yards on 490 carries with the Houston Texans (1974) and the Shreveport Steamer (1975), scoring 15 touchdowns.

"I am glad that the fans selected Jim Nance for this honor," Kraft said. "Like so many others, he was one of the reasons I became a Patriots' fan. He was an attraction. He brought fans to the games and that was very important in building a loyal fan base. Four decades later, we still have many season-ticket holders who became fans of the Patriots in the 1960s because of players like Jim Nance. The fact that he still holds some prominent rushing records 38 years after his playing career speaks volumes."

Nance's induction coincides with Kraft's decision to induct former owner and team founder William H. "Billy" Sullivan into the Patriots Hall of Fame as an important contributor to the Patriots' history. Sullivan died in 1998.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.