.jpg) Kapp in 1960 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 82, 22, 11 | |||||||||||||||
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| 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 (1956–1958) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1959: 18th round, 209th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
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Operations | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| Regular season | 20–34–1 (.370) | ||||||||||||||
Joseph Robert Garcia Kapp (March 19, 1938 – May 8, 2023) was an Americanfootball player, coach, and executive. He playedcollege football as aquarterback for theCalifornia Golden Bears. Kapp played professionally in theCanadian Football League (CFL) with theCalgary Stampeders and theBC Lions and then in theNational Football League (NFL) with theMinnesota Vikings and theBoston Patriots. Kapp led the BC Lions to their firstGrey Cup Championship victory in 1964. With the Vikings, he led them to victory in the1969 NFL Championship Game, the only league championship in team history. Kapp returned to his alma mater as head coach of the Golden Bears from1982 to1986. He was the general manager and president of the BC Lions in1990.
Kapp is a member of theCanadian Football Hall of Fame, theBC Sports Hall of Fame, theBC Lions Wall of Fame, theCollege Football Hall of Fame, and the University of California Athletic Hall of Fame. Kapp's #22 jersey is one of eight numbersretired by the Lions.[1] In November 2006, Kapp was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports networkTSN.[2]Sports Illustrated once called him "The Toughest Chicano".[3] Kapp is the only player to play quarterback in theSuper Bowl,Rose Bowl, and theGrey Cup.
Kapp was born inSanta Fe, New Mexico, to Florence García, ofMexican-American heritage, and Robert Kapp, ofGerman descent.[3] He was raised in California, in theSan Fernando Valley andSalinas,[3] where he played quarterback forHart High School inNewhall, now a part ofSanta Clarita.[4]
Kapp playedcollege football at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he led theCalifornia Golden Bears to aPacific Coast Conference championship in1958 and theRose Bowl, where they lost toIowa.[4] This remains California's most recentRose Bowl appearance. Kapp was named anAll-American, and was also awarded theW. J. Voit Memorial Trophy in 1958 as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. A two-sport athlete and fraternity member ofKappa Alpha Order in college, he also played on thebasketball team and was a member of the1956–57 and1957–58 squads that won thePacific Coast Conference championships.[3] He earned a bachelor's degree inphysical education from the university in 1959.[5] Kapp held the UC Berkeley record for most rushing yards by a quarterback untilChase Garbers broke it in 2021.[6]
TheWashington Redskins selected Kapp in the 18th round of the1959 NFL draft, giving them his rights to play professional football in the United States.[4] However, Washington never contacted him after the draft, so his only choice was to accept an offer fromJim Finks, the general manager of theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League (CFL).[4]
Kapp joined the Stampeders for his rookie season in1959.[7] The following year, Kapp led Calgary to their second playoff appearance since the start of the modern era of Canadian football. The season was a difficult one due to a knee injury against theToronto Argonauts early in the season, but did not miss any games, because he played heavily taped.[8]
In 1961, theBC Lions, then the CFL's newest franchise, traded four starting players to the Calgary Stampeders for Kapp. The move paid off for the Lions when Kapp led the team to aGrey Cup appearance in 1963. The following season, Kapp led the Lions to their first Grey Cup victory in1964. However, the Lions proved unable to defend their championship in 1965.[4]
By that time, Kapp had proved he was an elite quarterback, and also developed a reputation as a tough player and a great leader. While most quarterbacks, then as now, dislike being hit, Kapp was the opposite. He loved to hit and when he took off on a run he'd try to run over defenders.[9]
Before the1967 CFL season, Kapp made the decision to return to the U.S. to play pro football. TheAFL'sOakland Raiders,San Diego Chargers, andHouston Oilers heavily pursued him.[10]
Kapp ended up signing with the NFL'sMinnesota Vikings in a multi-player "trade" between the CFL and NFL teams, one of the very few transactions to ever occur between the two leagues.[11]
The Minnesota Vikings in 1965 haddrafted running backJim Young out ofQueen's University inKingston, Ontario.[12] He had spent the1965 and1966 seasons with the Vikings, but wanted to return to Canada. The BC Lions were very interested in acquiring Young, but theToronto Argonauts had his CFL rights.[13]
The Minnesota Vikings general manager was Jim Finks, who had brought Kapp to Canada in 1959, and their head coach wasBud Grant, who had faced Kapp while coaching theWinnipeg Blue Bombers. Both Finks and Grant thought Joe Kapp would be the best replacement forFran Tarkenton, who had been traded to theNew York Giants.[14] To make this transaction possible, the BC Lions traded all-star defensive linemanDick Fouts, and futureCanadian Football Hall of Famerunning backBill Symons to Toronto for the CFL rights to future Canadian Football Hall of Famewide receiverJim Young.[15][16] They then managed to get Kapp waived out of the CFL. The Vikings managed to waiveJim Young out of the NFL, which allowed the BC Lions to sign him.[17] The expandingNew Orleans Saints wanted Young and it took some work from Finks to keep them from claiming Young. Kapp, now waived from the CFL, was free to sign with the Vikings, who had previously claimed his NFL playing rights from Washington.[18]
In1967, Kapp's first season in the NFL, he started 11 of 14 games for theVikings, compiling an unusual record of 3 wins, 5 losses and 3 ties. Kapp completed only 47 percent of his pass attempts with 8touchdowns and 17interceptions. Kapp also scored two rushing touchdowns. Of note, the team was winless without Kapp starting at quarterback. TheGreen Bay Packers won the division (and theSuper Bowl).[19]
In1968, Kapp ledMinnesota to their first ever playoff appearance, losing to the favoredBaltimore Colts, 24–14.[14] The Colts were upset a few weeks later by theNew York Jets inSuper Bowl III.[20]
Early in the1969 season, Kapp tied an all-time record when he threw for seven touchdown passes against the defending NFL championColts onSeptember 28.[21] He is tied with seven other players (Sid Luckman,Adrian Burk,George Blanda,Y. A. Tittle,Nick Foles,Peyton Manning, andDrew Brees).[22] Kapp led the Vikings to a 12–2 record, and a berth inSuper Bowl IV after defeating theLos Angeles Rams 23–20 in the Western Conferencechampionship game, and theCleveland Browns 27–7 in the last non-Super BowlNFLChampionship game. However, he was unable to lead the team to victory in theSuper Bowl, as the Vikings lost 23–7 to theKansas City Chiefs. On July 20, 1970,Sports Illustrated dubbed Kapp "The ToughestChicano" on the cover of its weekly magazine.[3] He received the team MVP, but refused the team MVP award, saying, "There is no one most valuable Viking. There are 40 most valuable Vikings."[23]
Prior to the 1969 season, the Vikings had exercised the option clause of his contract, so Kapp had played the entire season without a new contract. It was unusual for teams to use the team's option and not to offer a new contract prior to a season. This dispute made him afree agent for the1970 season.[24][25]
Despite Kapp being a Super Bowl quarterback, no team in the NFL made contact with him until after the start of the 1970 regular season,[26] when theBoston Patriots (1–1) signed him on October 2 to a four-year contract,[27][28][29] making him the highest paid player in the league. The Patriots gave updefensive backJohn Charles and a1972 first round draft pick (which was used to selectlinebackerJeff Siemon) as compensation to the Vikings.[30] His first appearance for Boston was on October 11 atKansas City, relieving starterMike Taliaferro in the third quarter of a 23–10 loss.[31][32]
The Patriots of1970 were a poor-performing team and the late-arriving Kapp played poorly himself that season, leading the team to the 26-team league's worst record at 2–12.[4] When the year ended, Rozelle demanded that Kapp sign a standard player contract. After conferring with his lawyer and theNFL Players Association, Kapp refused to sign.[4]
With the top pick in the1971 NFL draft, the Patriots selected quarterbackJim Plunkett ofStanford, the winner of theHeisman Trophy. Kapp reported to the newly renamedNew England Patriots'training camp in1971, refused to sign a standard contract, and departed.[33][34] The headlines in the Boston papers read "KAPP QUITS!".[35] After this incident Kapp never played again; his 12-year career as a professional football player was over.[7]
Kapp started an anti-trust lawsuit vs. the NFL, claiming the standard NFL contract was unconstitutional and a restraint of trade. He won thesummary judgment after four years. The court had ruled that Kapp's trade was indeed restrained. It was two years later (April 1, 1976) in the trial for damages, that the jury decided that Kapp was not damaged.[36]
Although Kapp was not awarded any damages, in 1977 the rules at issue in the Kapp case were later revised, a new system was instituted, and a multimillion-dollar settlement was made between the NFL and theNFL Players Association.[37]
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kapp appeared in several television programs as well as theatrical film titles.[4] In most cases, the character roles were minor. Programs includedIronside,[4]The Six Million Dollar Man,[38]Adam-12,[9]The Rookies,Emergency!,[10]Police Woman,[9]Captains and the Kings,[39] andMedical Center.[10] Movies includedClimb An Angry Mountain (1972),[39]The World's Greatest Athlete (1973),[39]The Longest Yard (1974),[38]Breakheart Pass (1975),[9]Two-Minute Warning (1976),[39]Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976),[39]Semi-Tough (1977),[4]The Frisco Kid (1979),[9] andOff Sides (Pigs vs. Freaks) (1984).[39]
In 1982, Kapp was hired as the head football coach at his alma mater, theUniversity of California, Berkeley. He had never coached before.[40]
In December 1981, Kapp made a promise to the football team that he would not consume any of his favorite alcoholic beverage,tequila, until the Golden Bears reached theRose Bowl, which they did not under Kapp; indeed, as of 2023, the Golden Bears have yet to return to the Rose Bowl – they were Pac-10 co-champions in 2004 but a loss to USC sent them to theHoliday Bowl instead (in a 1994 interview, Kapp stated that he had resorted to drinkingrum instead).[41]
Kapp had several philosophies while coaching at Cal. He called his special teams the "special forces." He told his players to play "One hundred percent for 60 minutes." He also wanted the players to have fun. On Sundays, he would have his players play a game of "garbazz", described as a mix of basketball and football where the only objective is to pass the ball downfield. There are no football rules such as offsides or forward passes.[40]
In his first year as head coach in1982, the Golden Bears improved from 2–9 the year before to 7–4, and he was voted thePac-10 Conference Coach of the Year.[42] The 1982 season concluded withThe Play, the famous five-lateral kickoff return by Cal to score the winning touchdown on the final play of theBig Game against archrivalStanford.[43]
During the1986 season, the Bears lost toBoston College, defeatedWashington State, then lost toSan Jose State. Following an embarrassing 50–18 loss atWashington on October 4, Kapp expressed frustration unzipping his pants in front of theSeattle media.[44][45][46] He was notified that he would be released after theBig Game, played in Berkeley. The Bears responded to the student section's pre-game chants of "Win one for the zipper" by beating theGator Bowl-bound #16Cardinal 17–11, which gave Kapp a 3–2 record in the Big Game. He was carried off the field by his players,[47] amid chanting from the student section, "We want Kapp!"[48]
In an effort to recapture their past glory, theBC Lions of theCanadian Football League (CFL) hired Kapp as the team's new general manager in1990. Kapp's tenure was marked by his tendency to recruit ex-NFL players such asMark Gastineau whose best football days had passed. Kapp was fired eleven games into the Lions' schedule; his most valuable legacy was the signing of quarterbackDoug Flutie, who would blossom into a star in the CFL during the 1990s.[9][49]
In 1992, Kapp was named the head coach of theArena Football League's Los Angeles Wings,[50] but the franchise never came into existence in Los Angeles, and moved to Sacramento as the Attack.[51] The franchise went 4–6 under Kapp, losing in the first round of the playoffs to theDetroit Drive.[52] After the season, the franchise moved to Miami, Florida.[53]
Kapp lived inLos Gatos, California, and made himself available as a guest speaker. He had a wife, four children, and eight grandchildren. He was one of the owners of Kapp's Pizza Bar & Grill inMountain View, California, which contained memorabilia from his career and closed in 2015. His son, Will, followed in his footsteps as a fullback atUC Berkeley.[54] In 2015, grandson Frank Kapp continued the Cal football tradition as a freshman tight end with the Golden Bears.[55]
Kapp and fellowCanadian Football Hall of Fame playerAngelo Mosca came to blows at a 2011 Canadian Football League Alumni luncheon. The source of the bad blood between Kapp and Mosca was a hit Mosca made on Kapp's teammateWillie Fleming in the 1963Grey Cup game. The hit, which Kapp and many others considered dirty, forced Fleming out of the game. Mosca'sTiger-Cats defeated Kapp's Lions 21–10 for the 1963 championship.[56]
In February 2016, theSan Jose Mercury News reported that Kapp was suffering fromAlzheimer's disease.[57] He died from complications of the disease at a care facility inSan Jose, California, on May 8, 2023, at age 85.[4][58]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Golden Bears(Pacific-10 Conference)(1982–1986) | |||||||||
| 1982 | California | 7–4 | 4–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1983 | California | 5–5–1 | 3–4–1 | 8th | |||||
| 1984 | California | 2–9 | 1–8 | 10th | |||||
| 1985 | California | 4–7 | 2–7 | 10th | |||||
| 1986 | California | 2–9 | 2–7 | 9th | |||||
| California: | 20–34–1 | 12–30–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 20–34–1 | ||||||||
Source:[59]
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
