Joe Kapp
Joseph Robert Garcia Kapp (March 19, 1938 – May 8, 2023) was an American football quarterback of Mexican descent who achieved prominence in college, the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the National Football League (NFL).[1][2] An All-American at the University of California, Berkeley, Kapp led the Golden Bears to the 1958 Rose Bowl game.[3] In the CFL, he played eight seasons, primarily with the BC Lions, where he led the league in passing yards from 1962 to 1965, earned two All-Star selections, and guided the team to Grey Cup appearances in 1963 and 1964.[4][5] Transitioning to the NFL, Kapp quarterbacked the Minnesota Vikings from 1967 to 1969, throwing a record seven touchdowns in a single game in 1969, earning Pro Bowl honors that year, and leading the team to Super Bowl IV.[6][1] He remains the only quarterback to have competed in the Rose Bowl, a Grey Cup, and a Super Bowl.[7] Following his playing career, Kapp coached at Cal, pursued acting roles including in The Longest Yard, and served as general manager for the BC Lions.[3][8]
Early Life and Education
Childhood and Family Background
Joseph Robert Kapp was born on March 19, 1938, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Florence Garcia Kapp, a Mexican-American woman who was 17 years old at the time of his birth, and Robert Kapp, a man of German descent.[8][9] As the eldest of five children, Kapp grew up in a family where his mother served as the primary stabilizing influence, later described by Kapp himself as "the Toughest Chicana."[8][10] The family relocated to Salinas, California, around age nine, where Kapp spent much of his early years in the Alisal neighborhood, engaging in rough-and-tumble play and sports amid a working-class environment.[11][12] His father's German heritage contrasted with his mother's Mexican-American roots, shaping Kapp's bicultural identity in a era when such mixed backgrounds faced social challenges in the American Southwest and California agricultural communities.[13][10] The Kapps later moved again to Newhall, California, before Kapp's high school years, but Salinas remained formative, instilling resilience through physical play and family-driven values of perseverance.[14][12]High School and College Football at California
Kapp attended William S. Hart Union High School in Newhall, California (now part of Santa Clarita), where he played quarterback on the football team during a time when the school had a small graduating class of approximately 43 to 47 students.[1][15] In the 1955 season, Hart faced larger programs like San Fernando, the city champions, resulting in a significant defeat that highlighted the challenges of competing against bigger schools.[15] Kapp enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley on a basketball scholarship but transitioned to football, serving as the starting quarterback for the California Golden Bears from 1956 to 1958.[7] During his sophomore year in 1956 under new coach Pete Elliott, the Bears struggled with an overall record reflecting broader program difficulties, posting an 8-10 conference mark across Elliott's tenure.[16] The 1957 season was particularly poor, with Cal finishing 1-9 overall, underscoring the team's rebuilding phase before Kapp's leadership elevated performance.[17] In 1958, Kapp's senior year, he threw for a team-high 775 passing yards and rushed for 582 yards, the latter setting a Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) record, while earning two-time All-PCC honors for his versatility as a dual-threat quarterback.[18] Over his three seasons as starter, Kapp accumulated 2,022 passing yards and 1,164 rushing yards, including Cal record book entries for runs of 92 yards, and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.[7][19] His efforts led the Bears to a PCC championship and a berth in the 1959 Rose Bowl, where they faced Iowa, marking Cal's first bowl appearance since 1938; Kapp received first-team All-America recognition from outlets including Time magazine.[20][17] These accomplishments earned him induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.[7]Professional Playing Career
Canadian Football League with the BC Lions
Joe Kapp was traded to the BC Lions from the Calgary Stampeders prior to the 1961 season in exchange for four players, including quarterback Jim Walden and ends Bruce Claridge and Ed O'Bradovich.[21] He played six seasons with the Lions from 1961 to 1966, during which he became a cornerstone of the team's offense.[4][22] Kapp led the CFL in passing yards consecutively from 1962 to 1965, building on his earlier Western Conference leads in 1959 and 1960 while with Calgary.[4] On September 29, 1962, he set a single-game record by throwing six touchdown passes against the Edmonton Eskimos.[4] His dual-threat ability contributed to the Lions' strong rushing and passing attacks, with the team posting a 23-6-3 record over the 1963 and 1964 seasons alone.[23] Under Kapp's quarterbacking, the Lions advanced to the Grey Cup in both 1963 and 1964, securing their first franchise championship in the latter on November 28, 1964, with a 34-24 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[4][22] Kapp's performance in these playoff runs highlighted his leadership, as the Lions went unbeaten at home during the championship years.[23] Over his CFL career, which spanned primarily with Calgary and BC, he completed 1,476 of 2,709 passes for 22,725 yards and 136 touchdowns, with the bulk of his production occurring in Vancouver.[24]National Football League with the Minnesota Vikings
Kapp joined the Minnesota Vikings in 1967 through a multi-player trade negotiated between the NFL franchise and Canadian Football League teams, reuniting him with general manager Jim Finks, who had previously coached against him in the CFL.[13] In his debut NFL season, Kapp started 11 of 13 games, posting a 3–5–3 record while completing 102 of 214 passes for 1,386 yards, eight touchdowns, and 17 interceptions, alongside 167 rushing yards and two scores on 27 carries.[1] The following year, 1968, Kapp improved to a 8–6 record as the full-time starter in all 14 games, throwing for 1,695 yards on 129 of 248 completions with 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, while rushing for 269 yards and three touchdowns on 50 attempts; the Vikings reached the playoffs but lost the divisional round to the Baltimore Colts.[1] His 1969 campaign marked a breakout, starting all 13 games with a 12–1 record, 1,726 passing yards on 120 of 237 attempts, a league-high 19 touchdowns (despite 13 interceptions), and an 78.5 passer rating; he added 104 rushing yards, earned Pro Bowl honors, and finished second in Associated Press MVP voting.[1][1] Key highlights included a September 28, 1969, regular-season rout of the Colts, 52–14, where Kapp tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes, accumulating 449 yards and leading the Vikings to 622 total offensive yards.[25] In the playoffs, Minnesota won the divisional round over the Los Angeles Rams (23–20) and the NFL Championship against the Cleveland Browns (27–7), advancing to Super Bowl IV, though they fell 23–7 to the Kansas City Chiefs on January 11, 1970, with Kapp completing 7 of 16 passes for 111 yards, one interception, and one rushing touchdown.[1] Over three seasons with the Vikings, Kapp appeared in 40 regular-season games (38 starts), compiling a 23–12–3 record, 4,807 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, 47 interceptions, and 540 rushing yards with five scores.[1]| Year | Games (Starts) | Record | Pass Comp/Att | Yards | TD/INT | Rating | Rush Att/Yds/TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 13 (11) | 3–5–3 | 102/214 | 1,386 | 8/17 | 48.2 | 27/167/2 |
| 1968 | 14 (14) | 8–6 | 129/248 | 1,695 | 10/17 | 58.8 | 50/269/3 |
| 1969 | 13 (13) | 12–1 | 120/237 | 1,726 | 19/13 | 78.5 | 22/104/0 |