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There will never be another quarterback like Fran Tarkenton. One of the most elusive quarterbacks in NFL history, Tarkenton was also an incredibly accurate passer who parlayed his unique talent into a Hall of Fame career.
Tarkenton’s list of bonafides is considerable. He was named league MVP, was selected to nine Pro Bowls and in 1986 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is still the Minnesota Vikings’ career leader in passing yards and touchdown passes.
In honor of his 84th birthday (he was born on Feb. 3, 1940), here are five fast facts on one of the NFL’s all-time great quarterbacks.
Career passing leader
Tarkenton retired after the 1978 season with 47,003 career passing yards, which at that time were the most in NFL history. He’d hold the record under fellow Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino passed him in 1995.
The quarterback Tarkenton initially passed, Johnny Unitas, is hailed as the NFL’s best quarterback during the league’s first half-century.
Unitas played through the 1973 season, but his last productive season was in 1970, when he led the Colts to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win. Unitas and fellow Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath struggled with their knees late in their careers. Tarkenton didn’t have such issues.
“I stay in shape, if that’s part of the reason,” Tarkenton told Sports Illustrated in 1975 when asked about his longevity. “Probably it’s luck. I’m physically strong. I have strong legs. Maybe that’s helped. Stand-up quarterbacks have stood in the pocket and gotten hurt. I’ve scrambled, and I haven’t. I never scrambled with any design. I was trying to complete a pass, to move the team. But it’s interesting. The old timers have never accepted me as a good quarterback because I’ve run out of the pocket too often. All that does is amuse me.”
At the time of his retirement, Tarkenton also held NFL career records for…
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Author : Bryan DeArdo
Publish date : 2024-02-03 19:44:31
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