Joe Kapp dies at 85: Legendary former Cal player coached Bears during iconic ‘The Play’ moment

Former California quarterback and coach Joe Kapp has died at the age of 85, the school confirmed on Tuesday. The College Football Hall of Famer was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease leading up to his death. 

As a player, Kapp guided the Golden Bears to a Pacific Coast Conference title and Rose Bowl Game appearance during the 1958 season, earning All-America honors along the way. It remains Cal’s most recent trip to the Granddaddy of Them All. He was also a First-Team All-Pacific Coast Conference selection and Cal’s team MVP that season, finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.  

Kapp went on to play professionally from 1959-70. He spent time in the Canadian Football League and the NFL, including a three-season stint with the Minnesota Vikings from 1967-69. Kapp quarterbacked Minnesota to a Super Bowl appearance during the 1969 season. His seven touchdown passes against the Baltimore Colts still stand as the NFL’s single-game record. Kapp is the only player to ever quarterback a team in the Rose Bowl, Grey Cup and Super Bowl.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Joe Kapp,” fellow College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning said in a release from the National Football Foundation. “One of the greatest players in Cal history, he established himself as a legend on the West Coast, gaining national fame and leading the Bears to a conference championship and the Rose Bowl in 1958. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time of loss.”

Kapp returned to Cal in 1982, this time as the team’s coach, amassing a 20-34-1 record in five seasons. His tenure with the Golden Bears produced one of the most iconic plays in college football history during their annual rivalry game against Stanford. 

Trailing 20-19 after quarterback John Elway led the Cardinal to a go-ahead field goal with 4 seconds left in the game, Cal used five laterals on the ensuing kickoff return for the game-winning touchdown as time expired. The dramatic finish, which included the Stanford band prematurely taking the field in celebration, is colloquially known as “The Play.”