You can't have Big Game Week without Joe Kapp

Joe Kapp and son...Go Bears!

Former Cal quarterback Joe Kapp has taught his son a lot about football, including one rule that is especially important this week.

"From a young age, my dad always said, 'Kapps don't lose to Stanford,' " said Will Kapp, a backup fullback for the current version of the Bears. "He never lost to them when he was playing. He's told me so many stories about playing against Stanford and never forgets to point out that he never lost to them before."

Kapp, a redshirt freshman, doesn't figure to get on the field when Stanford visits Cal on Saturday for the 111th Big Game, but he still can provide a perspective on the game that arguably no other teammate can. Kapp was born in 1988, two years after his father's last season as the Bears' coach. But he still grew up totally entrenched in Cal football, attending games and learning about the history of the program.

Joe Kapp was a first-team All-American and led the Bears to their last Rose Bowl appearance in 1959. He also played basketball at Cal for the 1957-58 season (the Bears didn't lose to Stanford in hoops that season, either).

"I've been coming to games my whole life," Kapp said. "I've always known what the Big Game is all about. I know how important the game is. It's always been personal for me because I was such a Cal fan growing up."