Alexander Joe Kapter ( – ) was a professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played one season for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

(AAFC). Kapter attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and joined the Browns after a stint in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Cleveland won the AAFC championship in 1946, his only season as a professional football player.

College career

Kapter attended

, where he played on the

Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team represents Northwestern University as an NCAA Division I college football team and member of the Big Ten Conference based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern began playing fo ...

team. He started play as a sophomore year in 1941, but only became the team's regular left guard in 1942. Kapter entered the

in 1943, but was allowed to stay at Northwestern along with the football team's quarterback,

Otto Graham Otto Everett Graham Jr. (December 6, 1921 – December 17, 2003) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Graha ...

, to finish the season. Kapter played in the

College All-Star Game The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the C ...

in 1943 and was named to the team again in 1944. The Navy barred him from participating in the 1944 game, however, because of a rule that disallowed any activity that would require an absence of 48 hours or more.

Professional career

Kapter was drafted in 1944 by the Detroit Lions, but military service delayed his entry into the professional ranks. He signed in 1946 to play for the

, a team under formation in the new

. Otto Graham, Kapter's teammate at Northwestern, also signed with the Browns. During the 1946 season, Kapter alternated on occasion with

Bill Willis William Karnet Willis (October 5, 1921 – November 27, 2007) was an American football defensive tackle who played eight seasons for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). ...

at right guard when Willis came down with strep throat. The Browns won the AAFC championship that year.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kapter, Alex 1922 births Sportspeople from Waukegan, Illinois Players of American football from Lake County, Illinois American football offensive guards Cleveland Browns (AAFC) players 2005 deaths Northwestern Wildcats football players United States Navy personnel of World War II