Fran Tarkenton

Passing attempts:	6,467
Passing completions:	3,686
Completion percentage:	57.0%
TD–INT:	342–266
Passer rating:	80.4
Passing yards:	47,003
Rushing yards:	3,674
Rushing touchdowns:	32
	Stats at Pro Football Reference

Fran Tarkenton
	Tarkenton in 2010
No. 10
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	February 3, 1940 (age 84); Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Athens ; (Athens, Georgia)
College:	Georgia (1958–1960)
NFL draft:	1961 / round: 3 / pick: 29
AFL draft:	1961 / round: 5 / pick: 35
Career history
	Minnesota Vikings (1961–1966); New York Giants (1967–1971); Minnesota Vikings (1972–1978);
Career highlights and awards
	NFL Most Valuable Player (1975); NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1975); First-team All-Pro (1975); Second-team All-Pro (1973); 9× Pro Bowl (1964, 1965, 1967–1970, 1974–1976); NFL passing yards leader (1978); NFL passing touchdowns leader (1975); NFL completion percentage leader (1977); Bert Bell Award (1975); 50 Greatest Vikings; 50 Greatest Giants; Minnesota Vikings 25th Anniversary Team; Minnesota Vikings 40th Anniversary Team; Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor; Minnesota Vikings No. 10 retired; 2× First-team All-SEC (1959, 1960); Orange Bowl champion (1960);
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:
Passing attempts:	6,467
Passing completions:	3,686
Completion percentage:	57.0%
TD–INT:	342–266
Passer rating:	80.4
Passing yards:	47,003
Rushing yards:	3,674
Rushing touchdowns:	32
	Stats at Pro Football Reference
	Pro Football Hall of Fame
	College Football Hall of Fame

Francis Asbury Tarkenton (born February 3, 1940), nicknamed "the Scrambler", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He is widely regarded as the first great dual-threat quarterback in the NFL.^[1]^[2]^[3] He 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. After retiring from football, he became a media personality and computer software executive.

Tarkenton's tenure with the Vikings spanned thirteen non-consecutive seasons. He 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. At the time of his retirement, Tarkenton owned many quarterback records. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

In addition to his football career, Tarkenton served as a commentator on Monday Night Football and a co-host of That's Incredible!. He also founded Tarkenton Software, a computer-program generator company, and he toured the U.S. promoting CASE (computer-aided software engineering) with Albert F. Case Jr. of Nastec Corporation. Tarkenton Software later merged with KnowledgeWare (with Tarkenton as president), until selling the company to Sterling Software in 1994.

^ Keefer, Zak (July 11, 2021). "NFL 100: At No. 95, Fran Tarkenton proved QBs could run long before Young, Vick and Lamar". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
^ Reid, Jason (2022). The Rise of the Black Quarterback. Disney Book Group. ISBN 978-1-368-08217-4 – via Google Books.
^ Long, Howie; Czarnecki, John (2023). Football For Dummies, USA Edition. Wiley. p. 349. ISBN 978-1-394-18127-8.

[1] Keefer, Zak (July 11, 2021). "NFL 100: At No. 95, Fran Tarkenton proved QBs could run long before Young, Vick and Lamar". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2024.

[2] Reid, Jason (2022). The Rise of the Black Quarterback. Disney Book Group. ISBN 978-1-368-08217-4 – via Google Books.

[3] Long, Howie; Czarnecki, John (2023). Football For Dummies, USA Edition. Wiley. p. 349. ISBN 978-1-394-18127-8.

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Fran Tarkenton

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