Joe Kapp Dies At 85

(ABC) – Joe Kapp, the hard-nosed quarterback who routinely ran into tacklers instead of away from them while leading the Minnesota Vikings to their first Super Bowl and California to its last Rose Bowl, has died. He was 85.  Cal confirmed that Kapp died on Monday. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for the last 15 years and was residing in an assisted living facility, his son J.J. Kapp said.  The family made plans to send his brain to UC San Francisco researchers for study of the potential connection between his dementia and hits he took to the head with his punishing playing style.  After a stellar collegiate career at Cal that was capped by an appearance in the 1959 Rose Bowl, Kapp went on to star in Canada before making it to the NFL. He took over for Fran Tarkenton in Minnesota and led the Vikings to a Super Bowl appearance in the 1969 season before losing to Kansas City.