Joe Kapp Reveals He's Battling Alzheimer's Disease

One of the most popular players from the Minnesota Vikings' past has revealed that he is battling a very serious illness.

Joe Kapp, who was the quarterback of the Vikings when the team made their first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl IV, revealed yesterday that he is battling Alzheimer's Disease.

"It's past the time of concern," Kapp, who called signals for the Vikings in their 1970 Super Bowl loss to Kansas City, told the newspaper. "Every single day I live being forgetful. I've got calendars on both of my shoes."

Kapp is currently writing his memoirs, and has said that he will be dedicating an entire chapter of the book to concussions. He has also stated that, upon his death, his brain will be donated to the University of California-San Francisco for neurological research.

Kapp spent eight seasons in the Canadian Football League before joining the Vikings in 1967, the same year that Bud Grant also came from Canada to the Vikings. He started 40 games for the Vikings from 1967 to 1969, and then moved on to play for the Boston Patriots for one season before retiring from the game.

Among Kapp's accomplishments is the fact that he's the only quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl, the Super Bowl, and the Grey Cup (the CFL Championship Game). He is also one of eight quarterbacks in NFL history to throw seven touchdown passes in a game, accomplishing the feat in a 52-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts on 28 September 1969.

You can find the entire interview that Kapp did with the San Jose Mercury News at this link.

We'd like to send our best wishes to Joe Kapp and his family as he deals with this devastating illness. Anyone who has had their life touched by Alzheimer's Disease knows how nasty an illness it can be.