Cal Tells Kapp He Won’t Be Back

Cal football Coach Joe Kapp, whose teams have won only 19 games in five years, was told by university officials that he will not be asked to return after this season.

Cal Athletic Director Dave Maggard said the university will honor its financial commitment to Kapp, paying him for the final two years on his contract. Maggard also said a search for a new coach will begin immediately.

Maggard said he asked Kapp to resign after a 27-9 defeat by Oregon Saturday, but Kapp refused, forcing university officials to act.

“Joe Kapp has made many very positive contributions to the California football program over the past five years,” Maggard said. “We feel good that there is now a strong foundation for future success, and all of us at Cal are very appreciative of the effort and dedication he and his staff have made.”

The Bears have a 1-7 record this year with three games remaining, one against USC Nov. 15. Only 1-5 in Pacific 10 play, Cal has been in turmoil off the field as well as on this season.

In the span of a week recently, sophomore tailback Marc Hicks told reporters he was considering leaving Cal; four freshman players were questioned in an alleged rape case involving a female student, and Kapp made a vulgar gesture during a postgame press conference.

Hicks later recanted, and no charges of rape were filed against the four players.

Kapp was brought in by Maggard in 1982 and turned a 2-9 team into a 7-4 winner in his first season, after which he was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. But in the next three seasons, Cal finished 5-5-1, 2-9 and 4-7.