By Edwin Flores - NBC News
Joe Kapp, the 'toughest Chicano' and the first Latino football player to lead a team to the Super Bowl, died Monday at age 85 after a long illness of dementia, the University of California at Berkeley, his alma mater, said in a statement.
Born in New Mexico to a Mexican-American mother, Kapp is the only quarterback to have played in Canada's Rose Bowl, Super Bowl and Grey Cup.
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He still holds part of the NFL record for a single game, with seven touchdown passes, in a Minnesota Vikings victory over Baltimore in 1969.
Kapp made history when he led the Vikings to the 1970 Super Bowl, becoming the first Latino player to do so.
He pioneered as one of the first Mexican-American stars of professional soccer. He and Jim Plunkett are the only Mexican-Americans to have been starting quarterbacks in a Super Bowl.
Joe Kapp during a game in 1967.Focus On Sport/Getty Images
"Men like Joe Kapp are the pillars on which the Minnesota Vikings franchise was built," Mark Wilf, owner and president of the Vikings, said in a statement. "Joe's toughness and competitive spirit defined the Vikings teams of his era, and his tenacity and leadership were respected by his teammates and rivals alike. We mourn the loss of Joe with his family, friends and Vikings fans around the world."
During his college career, he led the Golden Bears to a Pacific Coast Conference title in 1958 and a trip to the Rose Bowl, where the Bears lost to Iowa.
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Before coming to the NFL, Kapp played in the Canadian Football League, leading the British Columbia Lions to their first Grey Cup title in 1964. Kapp was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
"Joe Kapp will go down in history as one of the greatest players of all time, not only in our franchise, but in the entire Canadian Football League," Neil McEvoy, co-general manager and chief football player of the BC Lions, said in a statement.
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As coach of the University of California (known as Cal), his team achieved in 1982 what is considered the best play and the best end of the game in the history of college football, when the Bears consummated the tactic nicknamed 'The Play': a wild return of five side kicks when there was no time left.
Kevin Moen scored while running through Stanford's marching band, crushing a trombonist and winning the Big Game of the year.
"Playing and coaching at Cal meant everything to him," his son J.J. Kapp told The Associated Press.
Known as a fighter on the field, Kapp was featured on a cover of Sports Illustrated magazine that dubbed him "The Toughest Chicano." That was the title of Kapp's autobiography published in 2019, co-written by his son J.J. Kapp and two of his friends.
He also dabbled in acting, with credits including a role in the 1974 film The Longest Yard about a prison football team.
He is survived by his second wife, Jennifer Kapp, four children and six grandchildren. His first wife, Marcia Kapp, died in 2005.
