Flashback Friday – Fran Tarkenton Takes the Vikings World by Storm
LeeAnn Lowman
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Fran Tarkenton would go on to throw 4 touchdowns that game and run for 1. He went 17 for 21 pass attempts for 250 yards in only 3 quarters with a passer rating of 148.6. This remained his second-highest passer rating of his 13-year career.
Upon reminiscing about the game during the 60 year anniversary, Tarkenton mused that it was really like 500 yards. He said it was almost sacrilegious for a QB to run and scramble as much as he did. There just wasn’t the kind of offensive play then as there was today. Tarkenton was one of the first running quarterbacks in the NFL. He revolutionized the way QBs play and changed offensive play calling forever. That day in September paved the way for the Steve Young’s and Lamar Jackson’s and all the other QBs to come behind him. His play was truly historic.
The Vikings systematically demolished the Bears that day, winning 37-13. Coach Halas was beside himself, furious at how everything was going wrong, screaming at players. When Tarkenton was not scrambling all over his defense, the Vikings defense put in the work as well. They forced the Bears to throw 4 interceptions and forced a fumble. Former Viking Jim Marshall remembers Halas throwing his clipboard in anger and nearly tossing his famous hat.
Unfortunately, the season did not end as well as it began. After such an illustrious start they finished 3-11. However, on that day in September, they reveled in a truly exceptional victory. Fans witnessed one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game; Fran Tarkenton showed them just how special football in Minnesota was going to be.
In 1961, the NFL expanded to 14 teams with the addition of the newly formed Minnesota Vikings. A special expansion draft was held in January to allow the Vikings to select players for their team. During the 3rd round of the draft, they chose Fran Tarkenton, a quarterback and rising young star out of the University of Georgia.
Growing Pains
Tarkenton joined George Shaw on the roster as a QB for the Vikings. Shaw was selected in the first round of the 1955 draft by the Baltimore Colts. He had suffered a broken leg and was replaced by future Hall of Famer, Johnny Unitas, and was ultimately traded to Minnesota. Vikings Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin worked out both QBs during training camp but was leaning toward starting Tarkenton. Prior to the start of the regular season, during their 5 exhibition games, they looked like a team that had never played together before, losing all 5 games and neither QB was playing very well.
These pre-season losses left Tarkenton feeling less confident than ever. He was getting beat up by opposing defenses and he and Van Brocklin were butting heads. He was determined to improve and called veteran LA Rams QB and fellow Bulldog, Zeke Bratkowski, for some advice. Bratkowski reminded Tarkenton that he was smart and had the skills to do the job. He encouraged him to watch films of the opposing teams and break down the defensive weaknesses to exploit them.
Tarkenton did just that.
He spent his evenings at Coach Van Brocklin’s house watching film of the Chicago Bears to prepare for the first regular-season game. It turns out that the Bears mostly blitzed on defense, which gave Tarkenton an advantage. They may not have always seen eye to eye but Van Brocklin was an offensive guru and helped Tarkenton master the play calls and audibles he would need to win.
Countdown to Game 1
The Bears and the Vikings had met during one of those exhibition games. The Bears absolutely wiped the floor with the new team, 30-7. This had Bears Head Coach George Halas feeling sure of his team. After all, the Bears had been in existence since the beginning and had dominated nearly everyone they played for those 20 years.
Halas also felt he had a reason to be fired up. Coach Van Brocklin was supposed to deliver film to him of the Vikings first 3 exhibition games. He failed to do so and Halas called him out publicly. He implied that the Vikings weren’t going to be much of a challenge. Halas said they’d just see about “that rough and tumble football team.” Between not receiving film and winning that expansion game, the Bears were pretty sure of themselves and their ability to trounce the Vikings again.
A Viking Legend is Born
On September 17, 1961, just 15 days after that awful pre-season game, Coach Van Brocklin decided to start Shaw at the last minute. He felt some obligation after trading draft picks for him to at least give him a chance. Tarkenton took the bench, hoping he would get to put all his preparation to good use. By the end of the first quarter, all Shaw had netted them was a field goal and the Vikings were winning 3-0. Van Brocklin made the fateful decision to pull him and give Tarkenton a chance.
Some of the players were less than thrilled. This 21-year-old rookie certainly was not going to be any better than an established pro. One of those doubters was wide receiver Jerry Reichow. Reichow was quickly quieted when tight end Bob Schnelker caught the first touchdown pass, and soon after Reichow would catch his own.
Clearly, there was more to Tarkenton’s game than even some of his teammates believed. True, there were plenty of tough moments in his career, but he’d go on to solidify himself as the best QB in the team’s history.
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