Greatest Vikings Veteran QB No. 2
Joe Kapp
When Tarkenton departed for the Big Apple, Minnesota signed former Canadian Football League (CFL) standout Joe Kapp. Then-Vikings general manager Jim Finks and head coach Bud Grant both knew Kapp well from their own days in the CFL.
Neither man viewed the 1967 NFL Draft-eligible quarterbacks as good replacements for Tarkenton. Kapp, meanwhile, had eight years of experience in the CFL and also won a Grey Cup with the British Columbia Lions in 1964.
That background led the Vikings to make an extremely rare trade between two different professional football leagues.
In Kapp’s first year with the Vikes, the team won only three games. Then, in 1968, Minny went 8-6 while Kapp led the organization to its first-ever playoff spot. The Vikings then lost in the Conference Round to Dallas.
In 1969, Kapp passed for 1,726 yards and 19 touchdowns while Minny went 12-2 and beat the Cleveland Browns for the NFL Championship. One week later, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Vikes, 23-7, in Super Bowl IV.
A free agent in 1970, Kapp signed with the Boston Patriots and then retired after the season. During his three years with Minnesota, Kapp passed for 4,807 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions and had a 23-12-3 record as a starter.