Lou Cordileone and Joe Kapp – Saints-Vikings 1968
Some action from Saints-Vikings going back to 1968. Veteran defensive lineman Lou Cordileone gets a hit on an airborne Joe Kapp.
The Saints actually pulled this one out with a 20-17 win over Kapp and his Vikings. It was 1 of the 4 victories the Saints would enjoy that year. The defense had pretty solid game keeping Kapp to just 9 completions and 78 yards passing and Saint’s safety Bo Burris returned an interception 94 yards for a score. The Vikings signal caller was also sacked 3 times. Saints quarterback Billy Kilmer didn’t play a whole lot better – he threw a pick-6 himself to Viking Bobby Bryant. The difference ended up being 2 Charlie Durkee field goals in the 4th quarter.
In 1967 he returned to the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and ended up leading them to Super Bowl IV. In 1970 he found himself a free agent after legal details of his playing agreement allowed him to leave the Vikings. He joined the New England Patriots and had a horrendous year. The Patriots drafted Jim Plunkett in 1971 and Joe Kapp was shown the door.
Leaving football he enjoyed part-time acting bits most notably in The Longest Yard and the Six-Million Dollar Man.
He was head coach at California University from 1982-1986 and General Manager for the CFL BC Lions 1 season.
The Saint defender in the picture, Lou Cordileone is another interesting story.
A standout athlete at Clemson he was a 1st-round draft pick of the New York Giants in 1960. In 1961 he was traded to San Francisco quarterback YA Tittle in a trade that raised more than a few eyebrows. Tittle, a 4-time Pro Bowler with the 49ers asked “who the hell is Lou Cordileone?” when he was told of the trade. Cordileone’s response was “Me, even up for Y. A. Tittle? You’re kidding!”
And while YA would lead the Giants to 2 Division Titles, Cordileone would end up splitting time between the Steelers and Rams in 1962 and starting most of the 1963 season with the Steelers on the defensive line.
By 1964 he was released by Pittsburgh and played some minor league ball until he tried out and made the expansion New Orleans Saints in 1967 and stayed on through the 1968 season. He even had an interception in 1968 against his old team the Steelers.
After 1968 he called it quits and ran a few businesses in New Orleans for awhile. He managed to land acting part in a 1966 episode of Branded (with actor Chuck Conners) as a deputy.
In 2013 he was on the reality TV show Forever Young. Rumors are friends of his in the movie business tried to get his to audition for the Sopranos.
Credit to NJSports.com, Twincities.com and The Grueling Truth.com for some info.
