Former Vikings QB Joe Kapp dies at 85
Joe Kapp, the only quarterback to lead a team to the Rose Bowl, Grey Cup, and Super Bowl, died Monday at the age of 85.
Kapp had battled Alzheimer’s’ Disease.
Kapp was also an actor and producer whose credits included The Longest Yard (1974), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), and Over the Edge (1979).
Kapp led the Vikings to Super Bowl IV, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
He is a CFL Hall of Famer.
Kapp was 12-1 as Vikings QB in 1969. Overall, he was 23-12 as a starter in Minnesota over three years.
He signed with the Boston Patriots and played for them in 1970.
Kapp was also the coach for Cal when it defeated Stanford in “The Band Play” game.
I'm so sorry to learn of the passing of all-time great Golden Bear Joe Kapp, the only player to quarterback a team to the Rose Bowl, Grey Cup and Super Bowl, head coach during The Play, and a member of the 1959 NCAA MBB championship team. #TheBearWillNotQuit #TheBearWillNotDie pic.twitter.com/58wWcZgkzb
— Cal Bears History (@CalBearsHistory) May 9, 2023
“We had the whole province behind us that year, from Premier Bennett on down,” Joe Kapp said of @BCLions first Grey Cup title in 1964. “It was my most gratifying experience as a football player, and I played in the Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl.” A QB legend. Gone at 85. RIP Joe pic.twitter.com/j9bqWd9IOP
— Mike Beamish (@sixbeamers) May 9, 2023
Joe Kapp, the rugged and tenacious quarterback who led Cal to its last Rose Bowl appearance and later was the school's feisty head coach, died today at age 85. Story: https://t.co/ArFb2YwVYw via @sfchronicle
— Ron Kroichick (@ronkroichick) May 9, 2023
This was NFL legend #JoeKapp’s last cruise in #EastSalinas last September after the Athletic Field at his El Sausal Middle School was named after him. He rode off in this beautiful 1965 Buick Wildcat!
The youth of East Salinas were inspired by his remarkable life story, his grit… pic.twitter.com/uW4kwPOXt2
— Luis Alejo⚖️ (@SupervisorAlejo) May 9, 2023
Joe Kapp started the 1959 Rose Bowl, the 1963 & 1964 CFL championship Grey Cup for the BC Lions, and the 1970 Super Bowl for the Vikings. He also had a film and TV career in the 1970s, including as the prison guard in The Longest Yard (1974). And he ALWAYS bled Blue and Gold. pic.twitter.com/d0PPxHpsAe
— Cal Bears History (@CalBearsHistory) May 9, 2023
