Fran Tarkenton

Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton (born February 3, 1940) is best known as an American football player.

Related Topics:
February 3 - 1940 - American football

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Fran Tarkenton was born in Richmond, Virginia, and later attended the University of Georgia where he was the quarterback on the football team. The Minnesota Vikings drafted him in 1961. He came into his first NFL game (also the first game for the Vikings) against the Chicago Bears and led the Vikings to a victory.

Related Topics:
Richmond, Virginia - University of Georgia - Minnesota Vikings - 1961 - NFL - Chicago Bears

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Tarkenton played for the Vikings from 1961 to 1966, during this time he developed the nickname scrambler as he ran around the backfield to avoid being sacked by the opposition (this behavior also led to the nickname Frantic Fran). Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants in 1967 and played there until 1972 when he was traded back to Minnesota. He lead the Vikings to three Super Bowls in the 1970s, but lost them all. Tarkenton was also selected to play in 9 pro-bowls.

Related Topics:
1961 - 1966 - New York Giants - 1967 - 1972 - Super Bowl

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In his 18 NFL seasons, Tarkenton completed 3,686 passes for 47,003 yards and 342 touchdowns. He also used his impressive scrambling ability to rack up 3,674 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 675 carries. At the time of his retirement, Tarkenton held almost every single NFL passing record. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986, and is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time due to his running and passing ability. But even so, his poor performance in 3 super bowls and his inability to win a championship ring in 18 seasons prevents many poeple from considering him as great as other famous quarterbacks like Joe Montana or Johnny Unitas.

Related Topics:
Pro Football Hall of Fame - Joe Montana - Johnny Unitas

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Fran Tarkenton later appeared on the television show That's Incredible! and also worked part time on Monday Night Football.

Related Topics:
That's Incredible! - Monday Night Football

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