Fran Tarkenton Biography
Francis Tarkenton(Full name: Francis Asbury Tarkenton)is a former National Football League (NFL) quarterback, television personality, and computer software executive. Francis played in the NFL for 18 seasons and in most of his career, he has been with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings tenure with Tarkenton spanned thirteen non-consecutive seasons, playing with the team for six seasons from (1961 to 1966)and for seven seasons from(1972 to 1978). He was a member of the New York Giants for five seasons In between his time in Minnesota. Tarkenton owned every major quarterback record at the time of his retirement. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Besides his football career, he has also 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. His Software later merged with KnowledgeWare “with Tarkenton as president”, until selling the company to Sterling Software in 1994.
Fran Tarkenton Education
He received his high school education at Athens, Georgia, and later attended the University of Georgia, where he was the quarterback on the Bulldog football team and a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Fran Tarkenton Age | Date of birth
Francis Asbury Tarkenton was born on February 3. 1940 in Richmond, VA. He celebrates his birthday on February 3rd every year.
Fran Tarkenton Family
Francis was born in Richmond, VA, to his’s parents; Dallas Tarkenton, Sr.(Father) and Frances Tarkenton(mother). He grew up together with his brother Wendell Tarkenton.
Fran Tarkenton Wife
Tarkenton is married to his lovely wife, Linda Sebastian Tarkenton. In 1960 he engaged to his first wife, Anna Elaine Merrell and separated in 1982. Fran has four kids from both of her two wive, namely: Matthew Tarkenton(son), Melissa Tarkenton(Daughter), Angela Tarkenton(Daughter) and Hayley Tarkenton(daughter).
Fran Tarkenton Body Measurements
- Height: 6 ft 0 in'(1.83Meters or183 cm)
- Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Body Shape: Athletic
- Hair Colour: Blonde
- Eye Colour: Light brown
Fran Tarkenton Jersey
Fran Tarkenton Salary
According to our reliable sources, Fran Tarkenton’s annual salary is estimated to be $360,000 thousand dollars. He was the highest-paid Minnesota Vikings quarterback.
Fran Tarkenton Net Worth
The computer software executive and television personality, Fran Tarkenton, has an estimated net worth of $60 Million dollars which he has earned through his successful career as a former NFL quarterback, computer software executive and television personality.
Fran Tarkenton College | Hall of Fame
During the last seven years of his playing career, he was indecisive about his retirement. Despite not winning a Super Bowl, he won six playoff games, and in 1999 he was ranked #59 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987and Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame”The Athens” in 2000.
Fran Tarkenton Business | Ventures | Investment
Mark McCormack helped him invest, making him wealthy enough to “retire anytime if he wanted to”, as New York magazine wrote in 1971. Being a pioneer in computer software and the founder of Tarkenton Software(a program generator company), Tarkenton toured the United States promoting CASE or “computer-aided software engineering” with Albert F. Case, Jr.(of Nastec Corporation), eventually Fran merged his software firm with James Martin’s KnowledgeWare, of which he the president till the company was sold to Sterling Software in 1994.
In 1999, he was fined by federal regulators as part of a securities fraud sweep. “The ten other former executives of Tarkenton computer software and consulting firm, KnowledgeWare Inc and “The Hall of Fame quarterback” were accused of inflating by millions of dollars the company’s earnings in reports for its fiscal year ended June 30, 1994. Fran agreed to pay a $100,000 thousand dollars fine and $54,187 in restitution. He did not admit any wrongdoing”. This was according to the LA Times,
Since then, he has been promoting various products and services including Tony Robbins and 1-800-BAR-NONE. He also founded GoSmallBiz, a small-business consulting website. Furthermore, Fran operates an annuity marketing firm named “Tarkenton Financial”.
Fran Tarkenton Books
Fran Tarkenton’s most famous books:
- Every Day Is Game Day – 2009
- Safe and Secure: 10 Essential Steps for Seniors to Protect Against Financial Abuse – 2019
- The Power of Failure: Succeeding in the Age of Innovation – 2015
- No Time for Losing – 1967
- What Losing Taught Me About Winning: The Ultimate Guide for Success in Small and Home-Based Business – 1997
- Murder at the Super Bowl 1986
- The Competitive Edge: Essential Business Skills for Entrepreneurs – 1991
- Playing to Win: Fran Tarkenton’s Strategies for Business Success 1984
Fran Tarkenton Highlights
The Minnesota Vikings drafted him in the third round of the 1961 NFL Draft, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1961 AFL draft by the Boston Patriots. He signed with the Vikings.
He played his first National Football League game “and the Vikings’ first game” on September 17 against the Chicago Bears coming off the bench to lead the Vikings to a come-from-behind victory by passing for 250 yards and four touchdown passes and running for another as the Vikings defeated the Bears 37–13.
He was the only player in NFL history to pass for four touchdowns in his first NFL game until the feat was repeated by Marcus Mariota in Tennessee Titans’ 2015 season opener versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tarkenton scrambling (1974)
From 1961 to 1966 he played for the Vikings. His early years with the team were plagued by the trouble expected for a newly created team, with the Vikings winning a total of 10 games combined in their first 3 seasons, with Tarkenton winning eight of them.
He threw 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions for 1,997 yards in his first season. He rushed for 308 yards on 56 rushes for five touchdowns. The following year, he threw 22 touchdowns and 25 interceptions for 2,595 yards. He rushed for 361 yards on 41 rushes for two touchdowns. Tarkenton was listed to the NY Giants in 1967, at which time he moved to the New York City suburb of New Rochelle, New York. In the 1st game of the 1969 season, Tarkenton’s Giants played the Vikings.
After trailing 23–10 within the fourth quarter, Tarkenton threw two touchdown passes to secure a 24–23 comeback victory over his former team. The 24 points allowed by Minnesota’s defense were a season-worst for the unit, one more point than the Vikings allowed in losing Super Bowl IV to the Kansas City Chiefs. Tarkenton enjoyed his best season with the Giants in 1970.
The club overcame an 0-3 start to win nine of 10 and move into a position to win the NFC East division championship in week 14. However, NY was routed 31-3 by the l. a. Rams at the yank sports stadium, leaving the Giants 9-5, one game behind the division champion Dallas Cowboys and the wildcard Detroit Lions.1970 was the nighest the Giants came to creating the playoffs throughout a 17-year drought, spanning the 1964 through 1980 seasons.
Tarkenton was listed back to MN in 1972, for three players “Norm Snead, Bob Grim and Vince Clements”, plus a first and second-round draft choice. He led the Vikings to three National Football Conference championships, but in each instance, the Vikings lost the ensuing Super Bowl. In Tarkenton’s 1st Super Bowl look his team lost to the Miami Dolphins 24–7 in Houston.
It lost the second to the city Steelers 16–6 in New Orleans, and within the last Super Bowl Tarkenton compete “and Minnesota’s last Super Bowl to date”, the Vikings lost to the Oakland Raiders 32–14 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Tarkenton calling signals for the Vikings
In his eighteen NFL seasons, Tarkenton completed three,686 of 6,467 passes for forty-seven,003 yards and 342 touchdowns, with 266 interceptions, all of that were NFL records at the time of his retirement.
Tarkenton’s 47,003 career passing yards rank him 8th all-time, while his 342 career passing touchdowns are 6th all-time in NFL history. He is also sixth on the incomparable list of wins by a beginning quarterback with 124 regular-season victories. He also used his impressive scrambling ability to rack up 3,674 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 675 carries.
During his career, Tarkenton ran for a touchdown in 15 different seasons, an NFL record among quarterbacks.
He ranks fifth in career speeding yards among quarterbacks, behind Randall Cunningham, Steve Young, Michael Vick, and Cam Newton. He is additionally one among four NFL quarterbacks ever to rush for a minimum of three hundred yards in seven completely different seasons; the others area unit Cam Newton, Michael Vick, and Tobin Rote.
When he retired, Tarkenton held NFL career records in pass attempts, completions, yardage, and touchdowns; rushing yards by a quarterback; and wins by a starting quarterback.
The Vikings finished the 1975 season with Associate in Nursing NFC-best 12–2 record and Tarkenton won the NFL most beneficial Player Award and also the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award whereas capturing All-Pro honors in the process.
He was additionally a second-team All-Pro in 1973 and attained All-NFC alternatives in 1972 and 1976. He was named second-team All-NFC in 1970 and 1974. Tarkenton was chosen to play in 9 professional Bowls.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fran Tarkenton
Who is Fran Tarkenton?
Tarkenton is a former National Football League (NFL) quarterback, television personality and computer software, executive.
How old is Fran Tarkenton?
Francis Asbury Tarkenton is 79 years old as of 2019. He was born in 1940
How tall is Fran Tarkenton?
Tarkenton stands at a height of 6 ft”0 in’
Is Fran Tarkenton married?
Tarkenton is married to her lovely wife Linda Sebastian Tarkenton
How much is Fran Tarkenton worth?
He has an accomplished television personality with an estimated net worth of $60 Million dollars
How much does Fran Tarkenton make?
Fran Tarkenton’s annual salary is estimated to be $360,000 thousand dollars.
Where does Fran Tarkenton live?
Tarkenton resides in Atlanta
Is Fran Tarkenton dead or alive?
Tarkenton is still alive and in good health.
Where is Fran Tarkenton now?
He is in Atlanta, where he runs Tarkenton Financial(a company that caters to small businesses).
What happened to Fran Tarkenton?
He went on to co-host Monday Night Football, as well as the reality show, after retiring from the NFL following the 1978 season.
Fran Tarkenton Social Media
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