In his 15th season in the NFL Fran Tarkenton was having another great year. Maybe his best. The Vikings would start the season 10-0 and finish 12-2 atop the NFL Central in large part to the numbers put up by Tarkenton. He completed 273 of his 425 attempts, 25 of them for touchdowns to lead the league in those 3 categories. And when the season concluded, he would take home the Most Valuable Player Award for the 1975 season.
After three more very successful seasons in Minnesota, Tarkenton retired after his 18th year in the NFL. He finished his career with numerous NFL records at the time including completions (3,686), attempts (6,467) yards (47,003). and (342) touchdowns. Known as the 'Mad Scrambler', Tarkenton was the game’s first true dual threat, retiring as the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback and he did it all by winning games… the most ever by a QB at the time of him hanging it up.
He was named a Pro-Bowler 9 times, and had his #10 retired by the Vikings while being named one of the 50 greatest Vikings and Giants players of all-time. And in 1986, he earned a gold jacket and was enshrined into Canton as a member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately his success didn’t translate to the postseason. Three times he took his Vikings teams to the Super Bowl and three times they came up short. But Fran tells us on the Past Our Prime podcast there is a reason the Vikings lost 4 of the first 11 Super Bowls. He also tells us about his love and admiration for the coach of those Minnesota teams, Bud Grant, and how if he could prepare for those Super Bowl games from back then differently now the results may have been different.
Tarkenton also tells us how the loss to the Cowboys in the playoffs in 1975 was a “monumental day” in his life… one that changed him forever. Minutes after Roger Staubach connected with Drew Pearson on possibly the first ‘Hail Mary’ ever, his life was forever altered. A tragic tale only made worse by how it all unfolded.
Once retired, Fran embarked on his 2nd act and 50 years later, he’s still as competitive and active as ever and more often than not… still coming out on top. As the CEO of https://tarkentonfinancial.com/ Fran continues to produce at a high level. His financial company has seen him rise to the top of the business world and he tells us how he stays up to date on the newest business trends like pipIQ which reduces risks associated with misusing AI in small and mid-size businesses at a fraction of the cost. If you’re interested in learning more about this breakthrough technology go to https://pipiq.com/?via=proTV
Fran tells us that the similarities between being a QB in a huddle or a CEO in a board room are numerous. That he learned more by his failures than by his successes and that the great leaders all have one thing in common. What is it? Listen and find out as we chat with one of the NFL’s All-Time greats on the Past Our Prime podcast.
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