Washington draft choice and Super Bowl QB dies at age 85

Joe Kapp had quite the story, and he was Ron Rivera’s college head coach.

Did you know the only quarterback to lead teams to a Rose Bowl, Grey Cup and Super Bowl was actually drafted out of college by the then-Washington Redskins?

He would later go on to become the college head coach of now current Washington Commanders head coach, Ron Rivera.

Joe Kapp who died Monday at age 85, was actually drafted by the Redskins in the 1959 NFL draft, the 209th overall selection. Twenty-three years later he became the head coach of the Cal Bears (1982-86) and one of his better defensive players was a linebacker, Ron Rivera. Rivera would play well enough as a Cal Bear he was drafted 44th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1984 NFL Draft.

Back to Joe Kapp, the relationship between Kapp and Washington ended strangely, quite strangely. Here goes an attempt at it.

The quarterback for Washington during the previous 1958 season had been Eddie LeBaron. Perhaps Washington felt that having LeBaron they didn’t need the reigning Pacific Coast Champion Cal Bears quarterback, Kapp.

So, strange as it may seem, the legend is that after drafting Kapp, the Washington administration determined to not invite him to training camp, to not attempt to sign him. As bizarre as it sounds, it seems Washington decided to not even contact Kapp at all!

How in the world do you determine to not contact a player you drafted? What’s more when he had proven himself, leading his team to Pacific Coast Conference championship his senior season?

Consequently, Kapp pursued an opportunity to play in the Canadian Football League and play he did, making it to two Grey Cup title games, winning once.

When he returned to the NFL, it was to the Minnesota Vikings, where he led them to a 12-2 1969 record, playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns, before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs (23-7) in Super Bowl IV.

Back to the Redskins, two years after determining to not contact the quarterback they had drafted, Washington struggling without a good quarterback, drafted Norm Snead with the second overall selection in the 1961 NFL draft.

But after three seasons of Snead, Washington traded the former Wake Forest quarterback to Philadelphia for another quarterback you may have heard of …. Sonny Jurgensen.

Jurgensen played for Washington from 1964-74, set franchise and NFL records, and earned himself a place in the NFL Hall of Fame (class of 1983).

If Washington had contacted Kapp, perhaps might we have never enjoyed Sonny Jurgensen as a player or team radio broadcaster.

Former Vikings QB Joe Kapp passed away at 85

The starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV Joe Kapp has passed away at the age of 85.

The Minnesota Vikings experienced another loss in as many months with the passing of former quarterback Joe Kapp at 85 years old on Monday.

The starter in Super Bowl IV against the Kansas City Chiefs, was the Vikings starter for three seasons after spending seven seasons with in the Canadian Football League where he twice led the British Columbia Lions to the Grey Cup title game.

In the last years of his life, Kapp struggled with dementia and feared that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). His son J.J. Kapp said that his father’s brain will be studied at the University of San Francisco.

Our thoughts and prayers at Vikings Wire are with Kapp’s family, friends and with the Vikings organization.

Former Vikings QB Joe Kapp dies at 85

Former NFL QB Joe Kapp died after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease

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.

Former CFL star, pro wrestler Angelo Mosca dies at 84

CFL Hall of Famer Angelo Mosca has died at the age of 84

Angelo Mosca was a legend on the football field North of the border and in the professional wrestling ring.

The five-time Grey Cup champion and Canadian Football died Saturday after long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Per his wife, Helen:

It is with great sadness that the family of Angelo Mosca announce his passing . . . after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s. Angelo was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather as well as friend to so many.”

Mosca was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s shortly after his 78th birthday in 2015.

Sportsnet.ca offered a look into his colorful and sometimes controversial career.

A five-time all-star, Mosca appeared in nine Grey Cup games but gained national notoriety for his vicious hit on Fleming in the ’63 contest. Fleming took the ball on a pitchout and was running to his right. He had been tackled just inside the sidelines and was lying on his stomach when Mosca came flying over top the Lions’ player. Fleming took a minute before rolling over and appearing visibly stunned. No penalty was called on the play but many _ including then Lions quarterback Kapp – felt Mosca’s hit was not only late but dirty.

With Fleming no longer able to play, Hamilton went on to win the Grey Cup 21-10 and further enhance Mosca’s reputation as the CFL’s meanest player, something he later promoted during his pro wrestling days as bad boy “King Kong” Mosca.

Kapp never shook Mosca’s hand following the ’63 Grey Cup. But he and the Lions gained some revenge by downing Mosca and the Ticats 34-24 in the ’64 title game at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium for the B.C. club’s first-ever CFL championship.

Years later, there was an incident between Mosca and Kapp that went viral.

And a couple of his memorable moments as a wrestler: