Los Angeles Times

Gustavo Arellano: The staying power of Joe Kapp's 'The Toughest Chicano' Sports Illustrated cover

LOS ANGELES — The football player on the vintage Sports Illustrated cover looks beat. He's framed from the chest up, the No. 11 on his rumpled purple Minnesota Vikings jersey barely visible. The sky behind him is blue, but the midday sun is blasting down on his face. The player is squinting, he has sweaty, shaggy hair with a couple of strands of gray, and his mouth is open and gasping. Scars ...
Former quarterback Joe Kapp acknowledges the crowd as former teammate Gene Washington looks on as the Minnesota Vikings honor their 1969 team during halftime of a 2019 game in Minneapolis.

LOS ANGELES — The football player on the vintage Sports Illustrated cover looks beat.

He's framed from the chest up, the No. 11 on his rumpled purple Minnesota Vikings jersey barely visible. The sky behind him is blue, but the midday sun is blasting down on his face. The player is squinting, he has sweaty, shaggy hair with a couple of strands of gray, and his mouth is open and gasping. Scars decorate his chin.

Beat, but still standing. Still looking for a shot to win.

"The Toughest Chicano: Viking Quarterback Joe Kapp" reads the front of the July

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