The NFL world was hit with some tragic news on Tuesday morning as news broke that legendary quarterback Joe Kapp had passed away at the age of 85 years old.
Kapp suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in recent years and his son, J.J. Kapp, wrote in an email to the San Francisco Chronicle that his father died “after a 15-year battle with dementia,” which his family speculates was due in part to the extremely physical way he played the game of football – even as a quarterback.
It’s safe to say that Kapp had quite a successful career wherever he went, leading the B.C. Lions to a Grey Cup title in the CFL before taking the Minnesota Vikings to a Super Bowl appearance where his team fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.
Kapp even has an NFL passing record that still stands today, throwing seven touchdown passes in one game back in 1969. Nobody has ever eclipsed that record, but it is currently shared by seven others, including Peyton Manning, Nick Foles, and Drew Brees.
He had a legendary football career, and plenty of people took to social media to mourn his passing.
“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
Good morning. Waking up to the news of Joe Kapp’s passing. I was too young to remember them, but my Dad said he was the toughest son of a bitch to ever play QB in the NFL, and that 1969 team was the best the #Vikings ever had.
I’ll take Pop’s word on this. Rest in Peace Joe. pic.twitter.com/zzPE2LhUaE
— Ted Glover (@purplebuckeye) May 9, 2023
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
RIP, Joe Kapp. The Toughest Chicano.
His parents were lettuce pickers in Salinas. Before he was a Super Bowl quarterback, he learned to throw by tossing lettuce in those fields.
2 years after Super Bowl season where he finished 2nd in MVP, the NFL essentially black balled him. pic.twitter.com/5dWeVYReho
— Roberto José Andrade Franco (@R_AndradeFranco) May 9, 2023
Opening up twitter to find out that we lost another Vikings Legend overnight. Joe Kapp, the man that Bud Grant brought in to play QB after Fran was traded to the Giants, passed away at the age of 85. Kapp was one tough SOB and led the Vikings to their first Super Bowl. RIP Joe pic.twitter.com/U6MPkZtWK6
— Vikings Uncensored Podcast (@VikesUncensored) May 9, 2023
Rest in peace, Joe Kapp. The great history of our league is a storybook of incredible players and fascinating personalities. Joe Kapp was one of them. 🙏🏈 https://t.co/y5ZDgxVAIU
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 9, 2023
Kapp left a lasting legacy and will certainly never be forgotten.
