Joe Kapp, the hard-nosed quarterback who routinely ran into tacklers in its place of away from them whereas primary the Minnesota Vikings to their first Tremendous Bowl and California to its last Rose Bowl, has died. He was 85.
Kapp was moreover a Boston Patriot! (Pardon us AP, nonetheless we would have liked to edit on this gem).
In accordance with NFL.com: “A uncommon free agent in 1970, Kapp signed with the Boston Patriots two weeks into the season, main the AFC workforce to a league-worst 2-12 file. After the Pats drafted Jim Plunkett No. 1 total within the 1971 draft and amid a contract squabble, Kapp left the Pats after one 12 months and by no means performed in skilled soccer once more.”
Cal confirmed that Kapp died. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s sickness for the ultimate 15 years and was residing in an assisted residing facility, his son J.J. Kapp said.
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
HERALD TRAVELER, November 8, 1970
HERALD TRAVELER, November 2, 1970
HERALD TRAVELER, August 1971
The family made plans to ship his thoughts to UC San Francisco researchers for analysis of the potential connection between his dementia and hits he took to the highest alongside along with his punishing collaborating in mannequin.
After a stellar collegiate occupation at Cal that was capped by an look inside the 1959 Rose Bowl, Kapp went on to star in Canada sooner than making it to the NFL. He took over for Fran Tarkenton in Minnesota and led the Vikings to a Tremendous Bowl look inside the 1969 season sooner than shedding to Kansas Metropolis.
Kapp is the one quarterback to information his workforce to a Rose Bowl, Gray Cup and Tremendous Bowl. He nonetheless holds a share of the NFL single-game file with seven touchdown passes, in a 1969 win over Baltimore.
“It was sort of like having your personal superhero residing in your own home,” J.J. Kapp said in a phone interview with The Related Press.
Often called a fighter on the sphere, Kapp was the subject of a Sports activities Illustrated cowl story that dubbed him “The Hardest Chicano.” That was the title of Kapp’s autobiography printed in 2019 and co-authored by J.J. Kapp and two completely different buddies.
Kapp, whose mother was Mexican American, was a fierce advocate for the Latino neighborhood who labored with activist Cesar Chavez for farmworker rights. He moreover dabbled in performing, with credit score that embrace a job inside the 1974 film “The Longest Yard” a couple of jail soccer workforce.
He was a path blazer as one in every of many first Mexican-American stars in skilled soccer and stays with Jim Plunkett actually one in every of solely two Mexican Individuals to start at quarterback in a Tremendous Bowl.
Kapp moreover later coached his alma mater for five seasons and was on the sideline for one of many memorable performs in school historic previous when the Golden Bears returned a kickoff with 5 laterals to beat rival Stanford on the last word play in 1982, scoring the touchdown with the Cardinal band on the sphere.
When he was employed to show at Cal sooner than the 1982 season, he vowed to not drink his favorite alcoholic beverage tequila until the Bears made one different look inside the storied bowl sport. They on no account made it once more in his lifetime. Kapp had a 20-34-1 file in 5 years at Cal, his remaining sport being a very powerful upset inside the historic previous of the rivalry with Stanford when the Golden Bears acquired as 21-point underdogs.
“Taking part in for and training at Cal meant the world to him,” J.J. Kapp said.
His grandson, Frank Kapp, moreover was a member of the Golden Bears last decade. Kapp was cognizant of the toll the sport took on his physique and ideas, nonetheless nonetheless he was comfortable along with his occupation.
“He used to inform individuals to place your son in piano classes and never allow them to play soccer, however he let me play and he let my brother play,” J.J Kapp said, together with: “He by no means regretted enjoying soccer.”
Kapp spent his first eight seasons inside the CFL with Calgary and the BC Lions. He took the Stampeders to the playoffs in his second season and led the Lions to back-to-back Gray Cup appearances, worthwhile all of it in his second try in 1964.
“Together with serving to put the Lions on the map after some lean early years, Joe additionally served as a trailblazer for quarterbacks making a reputation for themselves on each side of the border,” the BC Lions said in an announcement.
He then went to the NFL in 1967 as part of a complicated commerce between teams in a number of leagues and altered Tarkenton, who had been traded by Minnesota to the New York Giants.
Kapp helped the Vikings make the playoffs sooner than shedding to Baltimore in 1968 after which threw 19 TD passes and led Minnesota to a 12-2 file the following 12 months when he accomplished second in MVP voting.
He ran and threw a TD cross in the direction of Cleveland to information Minnesota to a 27-7 victory inside the 1969 NFL title sport. The Vikings then misplaced the ultimate Tremendous Bowl sooner than the merger to Kansas Metropolis. All the time a team-first participant, Kapp was voted Most Useful Participant by the Vikings that season nonetheless refused to easily settle for it on his stance that each one 40 avid gamers on the roster had been equally useful. He coined the mantra “40 for 60,” referencing every participant giving his biggest for all 60 minutes of the game.
“Males like Joe Kapp are the cornerstones the Minnesota Vikings franchise was constructed upon,” Vikings proprietor Mark Wilf said. “Joe’s toughness and aggressive spirit outlined the Vikings groups of his period, and his tenacity and management had been revered by teammates and opponents alike.”
Kapp left as a free agent the following season and carried out briefly for the Patriots in 1970. He refused to sign with the workforce after New England drafted Jim Plunkett first complete in 1971 and on no account carried out as soon as extra. He filed an antitrust swimsuit in the direction of the league that he lastly misplaced, however it helped pave the way in which by which for the free firm system that lastly took keep.
Kapp was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and moved spherical California as a toddler sooner than turning right into a four-sport athlete at Hart Excessive College in Newhall and turning into the first explicit individual in his family to attend and graduate from college. Kapp helped lead Cal to the Pacific Coast Convention title in 1958 and the accompanying journey to the Rose Bowl, the place the Bears misplaced to Iowa. He moreover carried out basketball at Cal.
Kapp was survived by his second partner, Jennifer Kapp; 4 children and 6 grandchildren. His first partner, Marcia Kapp, died in 2005.