The 30 best quarterbacks in NFL history
By Randy Gurzi
13. Best NFL quarterbacks of all time: Fran Tarkenton
It didn’t take long for Fran Tarkenton to prove he was special. His first-ever appearance was against the Chicago Bears and the rookie put on a show by throwing 250 yards and four touchdowns — he also ran one in — in a come-from-behind win. He was the first player to ever throw four touchdown passes in his first game.
Despite that hot start, the Vikings struggled as they were a new team in the league when Tarkenton arrived. The team had only eight wins with Tarkenton as the starter in his first three years before finally starting to improve in 1964.
After six seasons, he was traded to the New York Giants and he started his career with them the same way as he did in Minnesota — with a comeback victory. Down 23-10 against his former team, Tarkenton led the Giants to a 24-23 victory.
Tarkenton returned to Minnesota after five seasons with the Giants as the teams again made a trade for his services. This ended up being the best stretch of his career as he had three double-digit winning seasons during this seven-year stretch. He was also the MVP of the 1975 campaign and led the Vikings to three-straight Super Bowls, which he, unfortunately, was never able to win.
Even without the rings, Tarkenton goes down as one of the best to ever play the game. Undersized at 6-0 and 190-pounds, Tarkenton was atop all major quarterback records at the time of his retirement. He’s still considered a pioneer for signal-callers who don’t fit the prototypical height-weight mold for the position.