1. Fran Tarkenton is widely regarded as the first great dual-threat quarterback in the NFL.
39 Facts About Fran Tarkenton
1. 2.
Fran Tarkenton played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he was recognized as a twice first-team All-SEC, and was selected by the Vikings in the third round of the 1961 NFL draft.
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Fran Tarkenton played for Minnesota six seasons from 1961 to 1966 when he was traded to the New York Giants for five seasons, and then traded back to Minnesota for his last seven seasons from 1972 to 1978.
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At the time of his retirement, Tarkenton was the all-time NFL career leader in numerous records.
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Fran Tarkenton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
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Fran Tarkenton founded Tarkenton Software, a computer-program generator company, and he toured the US promoting CASE with Albert F Case Jr.
7.
Fran Tarkenton was born on February 3,1940, in Richmond, Virginia.
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Fran Tarkenton went to Athens High School in Athens, Georgia, and later attended the University of Georgia, where he was the quarterback on the Bulldog football team and a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
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Fran Tarkenton was a first-team All-SEC selection in both 1959 and 1960.
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Fran Tarkenton was the only player in NFL history to pass for four touchdowns in his first NFL game, until the feat was repeated by Marcus Mariota in the Tennessee Titans' 2015 season opener versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Fran Tarkenton played for the Vikings from 1961 through 1966.
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Fran Tarkenton threw 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions for 1,997 yards in his first season.
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Fran Tarkenton rushed for 308 yards on 56 rushes for five touchdowns.
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Fran Tarkenton rushed for 361 yards on 41 rushes for two touchdowns.
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Fran Tarkenton did not get along with team coach Norm Van Brocklin, who did not like his penchant for scrambling.
16.
On March 7,1967, Fran Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants for a first and second round pick in 1967, a first-round pick in 1968 and a second-round pick in 1969.
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Fran Tarkenton has stated that his 1967 season remains the highlight of his career.
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Fran Tarkenton passed for 2,555 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to go with 57 carries for 301 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
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Fran Tarkenton enjoyed his best season with the Giants in 1970.
20.
On January 27,1972, Fran Tarkenton was traded back to the Vikings for quarterback Norm Snead, receiver Bob Grim, running back Vince Clements, a first rounder in 1972 and a second rounder in 1973.
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Fran Tarkenton led the Vikings to three National Football Conference championships, but the Vikings lost each ensuing Super Bowl.
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Fran Tarkenton is 13th on the all-time list of regular-season wins by a starting quarterback with 124 regular season victories.
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Fran Tarkenton used his impressive scrambling ability to rack up 3,674 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 675 carries.
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When he retired, Fran Tarkenton held NFL career records in pass attempts, completions, yardage, touchdowns, rushing yards by a quarterback, and wins by a starting quarterback.
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Fran Tarkenton was a second-team All-Pro in 1973 and earned All-NFC selections in 1972 and 1976.
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Fran Tarkenton was named second-team All-NFC in 1970 and 1974.
27.
Fran Tarkenton was indecisive on his retirement during the last seven years of his playing career.
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Fran Tarkenton was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Athens, Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
29.
Fran Tarkenton co-wrote with Brock Yates a book in 1971 titled Broken Patterns: The Education of a Quarterback, a chronicle of the 1970 New York Giants season.
30.
Fran Tarkenton wrote the self-help, motivational books Playing to Win in 1984, and How to Motivate People: The Team Strategy for Success in 1986.
31.
Fran Tarkenton wrote the motivational self-help business book titled What Losing Taught Me About Winning, and Every Day is Game Day.
32.
In 1987, Fran Tarkenton hosted a Think and Grow Rich TV infomercial that sold the book with an audio cassette version.
33.
Mark McCormack helped Fran Tarkenton invest, making him wealthy enough to "retire this week if [he] wanted to", as New York magazine wrote in 1971.
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Fran Tarkenton was a pioneer in computer software, and founder of Fran Tarkenton Software, a program generator company.
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Fran Tarkenton toured the United States promoting CASE or "computer-aided software engineering" with Albert F Case, Jr.
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Fran Tarkenton served as a color commentator on Monday Night Football from 1979 to 1982.
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In 1999, Fran Tarkenton was fined by federal regulators as part of a securities fraud sweep.
38.
Fran Tarkenton operates an annuity marketing firm called Tarkenton Financial.
39.
Fran Tarkenton married his second wife, Linda Sebastian, in the mid-1980s.