Joe Kapp dead: Former Vikings QB passes away aged 85, cause of death revealed

Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback and head coach Joe Kapp has sadly passed away. The College Football Hall of Famer passed away yesterday at the age of 85 while being surrounded by loved ones.

The one-time Pro Bowler's death elicited an intense outpouring of emotion from numerous quarters, with teams, leagues, and football players expressing sadness at the end of an actual football savant.

Joe Kapp's cause of death

Joe Kapp died following a decade-and-a-half-long battle with dementia and Alzheimer's.

Kapp's battle with the disease that took his life became public knowledge in February 2016 when it was reported that Kapp was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Sadly, he didn't win this particular battle, and he passed away on May 8th, 2023.

Joe Kapp's football legacy

Kapp's football legacy is set in stone, with the serial winner having a career that would arguably make Broadway Joe Namath blush.

Kapp played college football as a quarterback at the University of California, Berkeley. He was so good for UC Berkeley that he eventually got elected into the College Football Hall of Fame. Following his college career, Kapp started playing professionally for Canadian Football League sides the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions.

Following his successful stints with both sides, he took a chance in the National Football League, playing for the Minnesota Vikings and the Boston Patriots. He was a Pro Bowler in 1969 while with the Vikings and helped the side to the 1969 Super Bowl.

Kapp is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the University of California Athletic Hall of Fame. His résumé speaks for itself, and Kapp will undoubtedly be fondly admired and remembered by his family, friends, and colleagues.