Vic Lepisto, the tenacious captain of the 1967 UCLA football team that was ranked No. 1 in the country before a legendary run by USC’s O.J. Simpson vaulted the Trojans over their rivals, has died. He was 75.
Lepisto died Monday morning at Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center of complications from COVID-19, according to his son Garrett. He had contracted the illness three weeks earlier while at a memory care facility where he was being treated for dementia.
An undersized defensive end at 5 feet 11 and 188 pounds, Lepisto came to symbolize the gritty Bruins spirit, said former UCLA quarterback Gary Beban, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1967.