Joe Kapp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Joe Kapp

Kapp in 1960
No. 82, 22, 11
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1938-03-19)March 19, 1938 Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
Died:	May 8, 2023(2023-05-08) (aged 85) San Jose, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:	Hart (Santa Clarita, California)
College:	California
NFL Draft:	1959 / Round: 18 / Pick: 209
Career history
As player:
Washington Redskins (1959)* Calgary Stampeders (1959–1960) BC Lions (1961–1966) Minnesota Vikings (1967) Boston Patriots (1970)
As coach:
California (1982–1986) Sacramento Attack (1992)
As administrator:
BC Lions (1990) (GM)
Career highlights and awards
NFL NFL champion (1969) Pro Bowl (1969) CFL CFL Grey Cup champion (1964) Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy (1963) 2× CFL All-Star (1963, 1964) 2× CFL West-All-Star (1963, 1964) BC Lions No. 22 retired Bob Bourne Memorial Trophy (1963) NFL record Most touchdown passes in a game: 7 (tied) As a coach Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1982)
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT: 40–64 Passing yards: 5,911 Completion percentage: 48.9% Passer rating: 55.1 Passing attempts: 918 Passing completions: 449 Player stats at NFL.com
Career CFL statistics
TD–INT: 136–129 Passing yards: 22,725 Passing attempts: 2,709 Passing completions: 1,476
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Joseph Robert Kapp, born on March 19, 1938, was a famous American football player. He also worked as a coach and a leader for football teams. Joe Kapp played as a quarterback for the California Golden Bears in college.

He played professionally in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL). In the CFL, he played for the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions. In the NFL, he played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Boston Patriots. He led the Vikings to win the 1969 NFL Championship Game, which was the only league championship for the team.

After playing, Kapp returned to his old college, the University of California, Berkeley, to coach the Golden Bears from 1982 to 1986. He also served as the general manager and president of the BC Lions in 1990.

Joe Kapp is a member of several Halls of Fame. These include the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. His jersey number 22 was retired by the BC Lions, meaning no other player on that team can wear it. He was also named one of the CFL's top 50 players. Joe Kapp is the only player ever to be a quarterback in the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl, and the Grey Cup.

Early Life and College Football

Joe Kapp was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His mother was of Mexican-American heritage, and his father was of German descent. He grew up in California, playing quarterback for William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita, California.

Kapp played college football at the University of California, Berkeley. He led the California Golden Bears to a championship in 1958. They also played in the 1959 Rose Bowl, but lost to Iowa. This was California's most recent Rose Bowl appearance for a long time.

Joe Kapp was named an All-American in 1958. He also won the W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the best football player on the Pacific Coast. Besides football, he played on the basketball team. He helped them win championships in 1956–57 and 1957–58. He earned a degree in physical education in 1959.

Professional Football Career

Playing in Canada

The Washington Redskins picked Joe Kapp in the 1959 NFL Draft. However, they did not contact him after the draft. So, Kapp decided to play in Canada. He accepted an offer from the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Kapp joined the Calgary Stampeders in 1959. The next year, he led Calgary to the playoffs for the first time in many years. He played through a knee injury that season, showing his toughness.

In 1961, the BC Lions, a newer CFL team, traded four players to get Joe Kapp. This trade was a great move for the Lions. Kapp led them to the Grey Cup championship game in 1963. The next year, in 1964, he led the Lions to win their first Grey Cup ever.

Kapp became known as a very tough player and a great leader. Unlike most quarterbacks who avoid being hit, Kapp enjoyed running over defenders.

Playing in the NFL

Before the 1967 CFL season, Kapp decided to return to the U.S. to play professional football. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. This was a rare "trade" between a CFL and an NFL team. The Vikings' general manager, Jim Finks, had first brought Kapp to Canada.

In 1967, Kapp's first NFL season, he started 11 games for the Vikings. He completed 47 percent of his passes and scored 8 touchdowns. The team did not win any games when Kapp was not the starting quarterback.

In 1968, Kapp led the Minnesota Vikings to their first-ever playoff game. They lost to the Baltimore Colts.

During the 1969 season, Kapp made history. He threw seven touchdown passes in one game against the Baltimore Colts. This tied an all-time NFL record. He is tied with seven other famous players for this achievement.

Kapp led the Vikings to a great 12–2 record that year. They reached Super Bowl IV after winning two playoff games. However, the Vikings lost the Super Bowl 23–7 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Kapp refused the team MVP award, saying, "There are 40 most valuable Vikings," meaning the whole team was valuable.

After the 1969 season, Kapp's contract situation became difficult. He played the whole season without a new contract. This made him a free agent for the 1970 season.

In October 1970, the Boston Patriots signed Kapp to a four-year contract. He became the highest-paid player in the league at that time. The Patriots were not a strong team in 1970. Kapp played poorly that season, and the team finished with a 2–12 record.

After the 1970 season, the NFL wanted Kapp to sign a standard player contract. Kapp refused to sign it. He believed the standard NFL contract was unfair. He never played professional football again after this.

Kapp filed a lawsuit against the NFL. He argued that the standard contract limited players' freedom to choose where they played. He won the first part of his lawsuit. Although he did not win any money, the rules about player contracts were changed in 1977. This led to a new system for players and a large settlement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

Life After Playing Football

Acting Career

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Joe Kapp appeared in several TV shows and movies. He usually played smaller roles. Some of the TV shows he was in include The Six Million Dollar Man and Adam-12. He also appeared in movies like The Longest Yard (1974) and Two-Minute Warning (1976).

Coaching the California Golden Bears

In 1982, Joe Kapp became the head football coach at his old college, the University of California, Berkeley. He had never coached before.

Kapp had some unique ideas as a coach. He called his special teams "special forces." He told his players to play "One hundred percent for 60 minutes." He also wanted them to have fun. On Sundays, he would have his players play a game called "garbazz," which was a mix of basketball and football.

In his first year as coach in 1982, the Golden Bears improved a lot. They went from winning 2 games to winning 7 games. Kapp was named the Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year. The 1982 season ended with "The Play." This was a famous five-lateral kickoff return by Cal to score the winning touchdown against their rival, Stanford, on the very last play of the game.

Kapp coached the Golden Bears until the end of the 1986 season. He had a 3–2 record in the "Big Game" against Stanford. After his last game, his players carried him off the field.

Other Football Roles

In 1990, the BC Lions of the CFL hired Kapp as their new general manager. He tried to bring in former NFL players, but many were past their best playing days. Kapp was fired after eleven games. However, he did sign quarterback Doug Flutie, who later became a big star in the CFL.

In 1992, Kapp coached the Sacramento Attack in the Arena Football League. The team finished with a 4–6 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Personal Life and Health

Joe Kapp lived in Los Gatos, California. He had a wife, four children, and four grandchildren. His son, Will, and grandson, Frank, both played football at UC Berkeley, continuing the family tradition.

In 2011, Joe Kapp had a public argument with fellow Canadian Football Hall of Fame player Angelo Mosca. This was due to a controversial hit Mosca made on Kapp's teammate, Willie Fleming, in the 1963 Grey Cup game. Many people, including Kapp, thought the hit was unfair.

In 2016, it was reported that Joe Kapp was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He passed away from complications of the disease on May 8, 2023, at the age of 85.

Head Coaching Record

College Football

See also

In Spanish: Joe Kapp para niños