Best NFL Players of All Time: Fran Tarkenton

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Best NFL Players of All Time: Fran Tarkenton

In 1961, the Minnesota Vikings drafted Fran Tarkenton in the third round out of the University of Georgia. Tarkenton was considered short for the quarterback position at the time. Tarkenton’s stature of 6 feet and 185 pounds may have been exaggerated, but he struggled to outperform larger defensive lineman when protection deteriorated. So he did the only sensible thing. He took affairs into his own hands, leaving the pocket when necessary.

Tarkenton would scramble left and throw, then scramble right and throw, before taking off and running.

The method was effective and thrilling to the fans, but it annoyed Vikings head coach Norm Van Brocklin, who had been a Hall of Fame quarterback with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. Van Brocklin underestimated Tarkenton’s abilities, believing that a quarterback must stay in the pocket to be effective. Tarkenton displayed a large number of gifts quickly. In 1961, he played his first game for the squad against George Halas’ formidable Chicago Bears.

Tarkenton, who took over for ineffective starter quarterback George Shaw, led the Vikings to a surprise 37-13 victory by throwing four touchdown passes and running for another. No expansion team had ever performed so well in its debut game, before or since.

Tarkenton was a great leader who helped make the Vikings an interesting club in their early years, even if they did suffer from the usual growing pains of an expansion team. His ability to avoid pressure and have time to throw allowed his receivers to break free and get open. Tarkenton made enormous plays that sometimes take 10 to 15 seconds to develop. NFL Films has numerous reels of Tarkenton highlights at its disposal.

Despite his diminutive stature, Tarkenton was practically impervious to harm. He played in practically every game from 1961 to 1976, despite a series of agonizing injuries that began to take their toll. In 1977, he suffered a broken ankle from a collision with Cincinnati’s Gary Burley, which was his only significant injury. Tarkenton returned the next year, but his career ended unceremoniously when Minnesota lost 34-10 to the Rams in the divisional playoffs.

However, between his tremendous first act and quiet finale came a brilliant 18-year career that encompassed 13 seasons with the Vikings and four with the New York Giants. The 1975 league MVP retired with numerous notable records, including the most games played by a quarterback (246), most passing yards (47,003), most touchdown passes (342), most completions (3,686), most attempts (6,647), and the most rushing yards by a quarterback (3,674). While Dan Marino of Miami went on to shatter the majority of these records, Tarkenton’s all-time highs stood for at least a decade. More than 30 years after his retirement, he still sits third all-time in touchdown passes, passing yards, ninth in completions, and fourth in rushing yards for a quarterback.

Van Brocklin attacked Tarkenton’s manner, but his successor, Bud Grant, admired it. Tarkenton, a renowned veteran, returned to the Vikings for the latter portion of his career in 1972 after struggling with some of the Giants’ worst squads. Tarkenton posted a 33-37 record in five seasons in New York, and the team’s failure to reach the playoffs disappointed him. However, without his presence on the squad, the Giants would have fared significantly worse. Tarkenton was one of the Giants’ few stars at the time, and he earned every one of his 33 victories in New York.

By 1972, the Vikings had established themselves as a dominant NFL team. The Vikings, led by quarterback Gary Cuozzo, had 12-2 and 11-3 seasons in 1970 and 1971, but were eliminated in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Cuozzo was an effective quarterback, but struggled to motivate his teams and make a mark in the postseason. The Vikings re-acquired Tarkenton from the Giants in exchange for Norm Snead, Bob Grim, Vince Clements, and a first-round draft pick.

Tarkenton made a great transfer, going from one of the league’s saddest teams to one of the most dominant. Despite a disappointing 7-7 season in 1972, Tarkenton led the Vikings to six consecutive playoff appearances.

Doug Buffone, a Chicago Bears linebacker, met Tarkenton twice a year following his trade back to Minnesota, and the encounter always left him exhausted. “You were never so tired after a game as when you were playing against Tarkenton,” Buffone recalled. “He was so fast, you couldn’t catch him. Normally, with a pocket quarterback, you have two or three seconds to cover a back or tight end before he releases the ball. But with Tarkenton, you have to cover a guy for, I don’t know, five seconds or more. That’s because he was running around and you couldn’t capture him.

Tarkenton didn’t have to zip the ball to his receiver since he bought more time. “He would be running around back there and you didn’t know whether to stay with your guy or go after Tarkenton,” Buffone said. “After enough time has passed, you go after him. He spots an open running back, shoots the ball over your head, and gets another completion. “It was extremely frustrating.”

Tarkenton led the Vikings to three Super Bowl appearances, but none of them were victories. Tarkenton’s performance in those games did not stand out, but the Vikings’ three opponents—the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Oakland Raiders—were famous teams whose achievements earned them a place in NFL annals. It would have taken heroic efforts to beat the Dolphins or Raiders, and moving the ball against Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain” defense was almost impossible.

Tarkenton’s legacy is not as a quarterback who started and lost three Super Bowls. It is about invention and creativity. His style established a new mindset in the NFL that is currently the norm and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. Most quarterbacks cannot run like Tarkenton, but they must buy time with their feet to allow their receivers to make a play.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Fran Tarkenton Stats

Regular Season

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS QBrec Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD TD% Int Int% Lng Y/A AY/A Y/C Y/G Rate Sk Yds Sk% NY/A ANY/A 4QC GWD AV
1961 21 MIN QB 10 14 10 2/8/2000 157 280 56.1 1997 18 6.4 17 6.1 71 7.1 5.7 12.7 142.6 74.7 42 416 13 4.91 3.65 11
1962 22 MIN QB 10 14 14 2/11/2001 163 329 49.5 2595 22 6.7 25 7.6 89 7.9 5.8 15.9 185.4 66.9 45 450 12 5.74 3.9 10
1963 23 MIN QB 10 14 13 4/8/2001 170 297 57.2 2311 15 5.1 15 5.1 67 7.8 6.5 13.6 165.1 78 42 448 12.4 5.5 4.39 2 2 10
1964 24 MIN QB 10 14 14 8/5/2001 171 306 55.9 2506 22 7.2 11 3.6 64 8.2 8 14.7 179 91.8 46 446 13.1 5.85 5.7 3 3 14
1965 25 MIN QB 10 14 14 7/7/2000 171 329 52 2609 19 5.8 11 3.3 72 7.9 7.6 15.3 186.4 83.8 28 250 7.8 6.61 6.29 2 2 15
1966 26 MIN QB 10 14 12 4/7/2001 192 358 53.6 2561 17 4.7 16 4.5 68 7.2 6.1 13.3 182.9 73.8 37 322 9.4 5.67 4.71 2 1 12
1967 27 NYG QB 10 14 14 7/7/2000 204 377 54.1 3088 29 7.7 19 5 70 8.2 7.5 15.1 220.6 85.9 29 283 7.1 6.91 6.23 2 2 19
1968 28 NYG QB 10 14 14 7/7/2000 182 337 54 2555 21 6.2 12 3.6 84 7.6 7.2 14 182.5 84.6 27 255 7.4 6.32 5.99 1 2 16
1969 29 NYG QB 10 14 14 6/8/2000 220 409 53.8 2918 23 5.6 8 2 65 7.1 7.4 13.3 208.4 87.2 36 289 8.1 5.91 6.13 4 4 14
1970 30 NYG QB 10 14 14 9/5/2000 219 389 56.3 2777 19 4.9 12 3.1 59 7.1 6.7 12.7 198.4 82.2 36 249 8.5 5.95 5.57 2 5 17
1971 31 NYG QB 10 13 13 4/9/2000 226 386 58.5 2567 11 2.8 21 5.4 81 6.7 4.8 11.4 197.5 65.4 27 232 6.5 5.65 3.9 1 1 9
1972 32 MIN QB 10 14 14 7/7/2000 215 378 56.9 2651 18 4.8 13 3.4 76 7 6.4 12.3 189.4 80.2 26 203 6.4 6.06 5.5 4 3 12
1973 33 MIN QB 10 14 14 12/2/2000 169 274 61.7 2113 15 5.5 7 2.6 54 7.7 7.7 12.5 150.9 93.2 31 270 10.2 6.04 5.99 13
1974 34 MIN QB 10 13 13 9/4/2000 199 351 56.7 2598 17 4.8 12 3.4 80 7.4 6.8 13.1 199.8 82.1 17 142 4.6 6.67 6.13 1 1 15
1975 35 MIN QB 10 14 14 12/2/2000 273 425 64.2 2994 25 5.9 13 3.1 46 7 6.8 11 213.9 91.8 27 245 6 6.08 5.89 1 1 16
1976 36 MIN QB 10 13 13 10/2/2001 255 412 61.9 2961 17 4.1 8 1.9 56 7.2 7.1 11.6 227.8 89.3 25 221 5.7 6.27 6.22 1 3 13
1977 37 MIN QB 10 9 9 6/3/2000 155 258 60.1 1734 9 3.5 14 5.4 59 6.7 5 11.2 192.7 69.2 22 232 7.9 5.36 3.76 1 2 6
1978 38 MIN QB 10 16 16 8/7/2001 345 572 60.3 3468 25 4.4 32 5.6 58 6.1 4.4 10.1 216.8 68.9 27 254 4.5 5.37 3.8 2 1 11
Career 246 239 124-109-6 3686 6467 57 47003 342 5.3 266 4.1 89 7.3 6.5 12.8 191.1 80.4 570 5207 8.1 5.94 5.21 29 33 233
13 yrs MIN 177 170 91-73-6 2635 4569 57.7 33098 239 5.2 194 4.2 89 7.2 6.4 12.6 187 80.1 415 3899 8.3 5.86 5.07 19 19 158

Playoffs

Year Age Tm Pos G GS QBrec Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD TD% Int Int% Lng Y/A AY/A Y/C Y/G Rate Sk Yds Sk% NY/A ANY/A 4QC GWD
1973 33 MIN QB 3 3 1-Feb 44 77 57.1 537 3 3.9 3 3.9 54 7 6 12.2 179 75.5 7 50 8.3 5.8 4.9 1 1
1974 34 MIN QB 3 3 1-Feb 34 69 49.3 394 3 4.3 6 8.7 38 5.7 2.7 11.6 131.3 45.2 3 21 4.2 5.18 2.26
1975 35 MIN QB 1 1 0-1 12 26 46.2 135 0 0 1 3.8 40 5.2 3.5 11.3 135 46.2 4 35 13.3 3.33 1.83
1976 36 MIN QB 3 3 1-Feb 41 83 49.4 518 4 4.8 5 6 57 6.2 4.5 12.6 172.7 60.2 5 38 5.7 5.45 3.81
1978 38 MIN QB 1 1 0-1 18 37 48.6 219 1 2.7 2 5.4 31 5.9 4 12.2 219 53.8 1 11 2.6 5.47 3.63
Career 11 11 5-Jun 149 292 51 1803 11 3.8 17 5.8 57 6.2 4.3 12.1 163.9 58.6 20 155 6.4 5.28 3.54 1

 

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