Penn honors junior captain Vhito DeCapria, who ‘inspired us constantly’ in life and in death

As Penn football battles for the Ivy League title, their inspiration comes from their junior captain, who stood firm in his battle with cancer.

Just before the start of the season, 14-year-old Vhito DeCapria, who has been a fixture around the program for the past decade, passed away after a long fight with brain cancer.

He joined the team in 2015 when he was a little over 3 years old through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, which connects pediatric cancer patients with collegiate athletic programs.

In a press conference in early April 2015, Penn head coach Ray Priore named Vhito a team captain — his first captain as head coach of Penn. Vhito went on to spend much of his life as a member of the Quakers, going through two bouts with cancer at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, less than a mile from Franklin Field, before passing away in September.

He was 14.

“For me, it meant a whole other family,” said Ashley Haines, Vhito’s mother. “And truly, that’s exactly what they had become and are to us, another family. Vhito would call them his brothers.”

In his first year with the program, the team drew inspiration from Vhito. After a 2-8 campaign the year prior, the Quakers rebounded to win a share of the Ivy League title, while Vhito went through rounds of chemotherapy to treat an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor on his side.

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“Your responsibility as a captain is to inspire your guys,” former Penn player and current NFL wide receiver Justin Watson told ESPN in 2017. “And that’s exactly what he does, he inspires us constantly.”

In Saturday’s homecoming game against Cornell, the Quakers honored Vhito at halftime along with the 10-year anniversary of the 2015 Ivy League championship team. In preparation, players from that 2015 team reached out to Vinnie, Vhito’s older brother, to ensure the family would be able to attend the game.

“I’m never going back,” Haines said of her initial attitude toward Philadelphia after her child’s passing. “And then Vinnie is like, ‘Hey, mom, like a bunch of the guys are reaching out, can we go down?’ So, yes, we will go to the game.”

Haines credits the Penn football community for providing some of the most positive memories in Vhito’s life.

Throughout the early stages of his treatment, Vhito was never alone. Players took Vhito and Vinnie out for food after games, talked with them on the sideline, and even played hide and seek with them inside CHOP’s waiting room before treatment.

Bubbling with his trademark energy and enthusiasm, Vhito was always excited to see members of the team despite going through harsh radiation treatment that would occasionally leave him with third-degree burns, according to Haines.

“His first five years with Penn, the players would come to every scan and sit there with him until they wheeled him back,” Haines said.

Vhito made a particular connection with Watson, or “J Wild,” as Vhito called him. Watson took time out of his busy weeks as a student-athlete to get frozen yogurt with Vhito, while other players like former linebacker Sam Follansbee would “play nanny” by walking Vhito and his siblings through the stadium.

Most important to their family was Priore and his daughter “Aunt Jenna,” who each consistently welcomed Vhito and Vinnie back to Franklin Field over the years.

“Knowing that you have somebody that’s been so consistent in his life,” Haines said. “Coach meant a lot to Vhito. Him showing up like that meant everything to me.”

Vhito “lived” to support the Quakers, according to his mother, with him and his family making three-hour trips from Williamsport, Pa., where they lived, to Franklin Field multiple times each season. Vhito always found time to support Penn, despite trips growing less frequent in recent years due to Vhito’s worsening condition.

“It makes my heart break that we only made it to one game last year,” Haines said. “All he talked about was ‘Mom, we’re gonna go to every game this year.’ I’m like, ‘You got it, we’re going to every game.’”

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In 2022, Michael Gavin, an offensive lineman at Penn, learned he was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer. Gavin, who dreamed of being a Division I athlete, decided to remain a member of the team until his passing in October of 2023.

Vhito and Michael formed a unique bond, receiving treatment together at CHOP while being united by their love for the Red and Blue.

“Vhito walked up to him at CHOP and said ‘We’re in this together, we’re going to win this together,’” Haines said. “It was coming from a child to a college student. You think it would have been the other way around, but that’s just how Vhito was.”

“He’s got the utmost respect of any player I’ve ever played with,” said team captain Will Bergin, referencing Gavin. “Michael and Vhito had a special bond. Sounds cliche, but they were keeping each other alive somehow.”

The pair went back and forth visiting each other during inpatient care, with Gavin supporting the team through messages and videos from the hospital. Haines hopes the duo has stayed together since their passing.

“They’re probably up there just having a blast,” Haines said. “Throwing the football around and cheering on their brothers.”

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Players have worn “VD” patches on the back of their helmets in each game since Vhito’s passing, a symbol meant to remind players to put their life in perspective, according to Priore.

With two games left in the season, Penn is primed to compete for its first Ivy League title since 2016, when Vhito first joined the team. As emotions ride high, Bergin knows that each player has Vhito in mind.

“We’ve always been playing for him,” Bergin said. “I can’t tell you this game would be any different… deep down, everyone is playing for that kid, even five years ago or 10 years ago, whatever meaningless game, it is always for him.”