July 13th, 1935, Jack French Kemp was born in Los Angeles. He was the third of four sons in the family of transport company owner Paul Kemp and his wife Francis, who worked in the social service and taught Spanish. At school, his classmates were future jazz musician Herb Alpert and World Series winner pitcher Larry Sherry. Jack played quarterback on the school team. In one of the lessons, when students were asked to write an essay about an outstanding invention, Kemp chose the topic of his work ahead.
After leaving school, in 1953, he opted for Occidental College, as his team used formations and a playbook that were as close to professional as possible. His team played in the third division of the NCAA, and more prestigious universities in California were afraid to invite Kemp, considering him too small for football. At the same time, as part of the Occidental Tigers Jack played quarterback, he also set a college record in javelin throwing.
At the 1957 draft, he was chosen by the Detroit Lions under a general 203 number. Jack could not break into the team and was expelled before the start of the season. Pittsburgh later signed a contract with him, in which Kemp appeared on the field in four games, gaining 88 yards. The next season, he tried in Giants and Niners, but did not advance further than the training team. In 1959, he played one match for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian League. Over the three years of his career, Kemp changed five teams and was expelled from each.
A lucky ticket fell to him in 1960, when the American Football League was founded. Jack signed a contract with the Chargers and became the first starting quarterback in franchise history. In the first season, Kemp scored 3,018 yards, and the team won the AFL West Division. In October of the following year, Jack, a former private of the reserve, was mobilized for military service - several months earlier the exacerbation of the Berlin crisis began. However, he returned home quite quickly. Kemp experienced pain in his hand and the medical committee found him unfit for military service. He managed to take part in the season and helped the Chargers win the division again. His teammate tackle attack Ron Mix later said that before each game, Kemp took a significant number of painkillers, and added: it is strange that a person can play football, but is unsuitable for military service. In 1962, Jack again received a summons, this time in connection with the outbreak of war in Vietnam, but at that moment his knee was injured and he avoided conscription. In the same year, he broke a finger on his hand and was supposed to miss part of the games. To make room in the Chargers, Kemp was formally put up for draft rejection. The team did not want to lose the player and tried to hide this fact whenever possible. The attempt failed and at the end of September Buffalo, led by Lou Saban, got the rights to the quarterback, paying only $ 100. Kemp also claimed the Dallas Texans and Denver Broncos, but the League Commissioner resolved the dispute in favor of the Bills. In the same year, he broke a finger on his hand and was supposed to miss part of the games. To make room in the Chargers, Kemp was formally put up for draft rejection. The team did not want to lose the player and tried to hide this fact whenever possible. The attempt failed and at the end of September Buffalo, led by Lou Saban, got the rights to the quarterback, paying only $ 100. Kemp also claimed the Dallas Texans and Denver Broncos, but the League Commissioner resolved the dispute in favor of the Bills. In the same year, he broke a finger on his hand and was supposed to miss part of the games. To make room in the Chargers, Kemp was formally put up for draft rejection. The team did not want to lose the player and tried to hide this fact whenever possible. The attempt failed and at the end of September Buffalo, led by Lou Saban, got the rights to the quarterback, paying only $ 100. Kemp also claimed the Dallas Texans and Denver Broncos, but the League Commissioner resolved the dispute in favor of the Bills.
Jack himself was not eager to go to Buffalo, but he obeyed the decision of the football authorities. In the first season with the Bills, he spent only four games, recovering most of his time from injuries. In December 1962, the team signed a contract with a Notre Dame graduate, Daryle Lamonica, and for the next four seasons there was a bitter struggle between him and Kemp for a starting quarterback. he ended with the departure of Lamonica in Raiders. Kemp also confirmed his star status in Buffalo, in 1964 and 1965 leading the team to victory in the AFL championship. In the second of these seasons, he was also recognized as the Most Valuable League Player. Then Jack again began to pursue injuries. In January 1970, he decided to end his sports career. In addition to two titles, it had seven Matches of all AFL stars and five hits in the league stars team. For the Bills, he was bigger than the starting quarterback: thanks to Kemp, many of the conflicts within the team were quenched in the bud. In 1984, his name was painted on the Bills Wall of Fame.
Having finished playing, Jack went into politics. As a player, he participated in the election campaign of Barry Goldwater and worked in the office of California Governor Ronald Reagan. In 1971, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives and retained his post until 1989. In 1988, Kemp participated in the primaries of the Republican Party, but George W. Bush was chosen as the presidential candidate. After Bush won the election, Jack served as Minister of Housing for four years. In 1996, he again participated in the election race as a candidate for vice president. After the failure, Kemp went into business. He served on the boards of six large corporations and several charitable foundations. In January 2009, Jack Kemp was diagnosed with cancer, and in May he died at the age of 73.