 Cappon cropped from 1921 Michigan football team photograph | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 17, 1900 Holland, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | November 29, 1961 (aged 61) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1918 | Phillips |
| 1920–1922 | Michigan |
| Basketball | |
| 1920–1922 | Michigan |
| Position(s) | End, fullback, halfback, tackle (football) Guard (basketball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1923–1924 | Luther (IA) |
| 1925 | Michigan (ends/backs) |
| 1926–1927 | Kansas |
| 1928–1937 | Michigan (assistant) |
| 1938–? | Princeton (assistant) |
| Basketball | |
| 1928–1931 | Michigan (assistant) |
| 1931–1938 | Michigan |
| 1938–1943 | Princeton |
| 1946–1961 | Princeton |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1924–1925 | Luther (IA) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 13–14–2 (football) 340–242 (basketball) |
Franklin C. "Cappy" Cappon (October 17, 1900 – November 29, 1961) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach. He played football and basketball at Phillips University and the University of Michigan and coached at Luther College (1923–1924), the University of Kansas (1926–1927), the University of Michigan (1925, 1928–1938), and Princeton University (1938–1961).
The son of a wealthy leather manufacturer in Holland, Michigan, Cappon was a star athlete in both basketball and football, and was named to All-Western football teams in 1920, 1921, and 1922. Before accepting a position at Princeton, Cappon was an assistant athletic director and basketball coach at Michigan from 1928 to 1938. In 23 years at Princeton, Cappon won five Ivy League championships, and his trademark "five-man weave" offense became closely identified with the program. He was a mentor at Princeton to a generation of student-athletes, including Butch van Breda Kolff, Bill Bradley and Frank Deford. Cappon died at age 61 of a heart attack in the showers at Princeton's Dillon Gymnasium after a basketball practice session.