It's unfortunately rare for a player in today's NFL to spend his entire career with the same team. Prior to free agency taking over the league it was much more common to see a player start and end his career with the same team. Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton did just that but he didn't spend all of his playing days with the Minnesota Vikings.
I can think of no other football player that had a career like Tarkenton. It's as if he had three distinct careers. He was the face and future of the expansion Vikings from 1961-66. He was traded to the New York Giants to return a once proud franchise to glory. From 1967-71 he was the Giants answer to Joe Namath in New York. In 1972 Tarkenton was traded back to Minnesota to be the final piece for a contending that lacked only a quarterback. It's remarkable. Tarkenton was the centerpiece in two blockbuster trades. He was great in all three stages of his Hall of Fame career. When he retired he had all the career passing records (except intereceptions!) now held by Brett Favre. Tarkenton had a great but unusual career.
As a Vikings fan it's easy to be biased but I really think that the Vikings won on both ends of the Tarkenton trades. The Giants gave up 1st and 2nd round picks in the 1967 NFL Draft, a 1st in 1968 and a 2nd in 1969. With the 1967 picks, the Vikings selected running back Clinton Jones and receiver Bob Grim. Jones made the greater impact as he added some speed and a big play threat to an effective but plodding backfield. Grim was a solid receiver, despite his unfortunate name, and he played a part in bringing Tarkenton back five years later. The 1968 pick was the big one. The first pick in that NFL Draft brought Hall of Fame tackle Ron Yary to Minnesota. Yary was fantastic. Little else needs to be said about that. The 1969 pick brought guard Ed White. He lined up next to Yary and formed a wall for the better part of the next decade. In the five years that Tarkenton was running around New York the Vikings became a force in the NFL. They even made it to the 1969 Super Bowl. Minnesota's defense was a monster. The offense was a little more than competent. At times they could be explosive but mostly they did what needed to be done. A few quarterbacks led them. The best was easily Joe Kapp. Memories of Kapp warm many Minnesota hearts. Kapp was a real treat. He was fiery, a leader, a warrior, a winner, a lot of fun but he was rarely confused with a skilled quarterback. He also wasn't with the team very long. By 1972 it was clear that the Vikings needed a quarterback. They turned to the Giants and Tarkenton. Minnesota gave up 1st round picks in 1972 and 1973 as well as quarterback Norm Snead, Grim and running back Vince Clements. That trade took the Vikings to three Super Bowls and cemented Tarkenton's spot in Canton.
I've often wondered what that 1969 team would've been like if Tarkenton was part of it but there are so many variables. Tarkenton would certainly make the offense more versatile and explosive but he'd have to manage without Jones, Grim and especially Yary and White. The Super Bowl teams of the '70s would have been greatly weakened without that excellent offensive line. Too many "what ifs" to speculate. Despite not bringing home any Lombardi Trophies the Minnesota Vikings of that era was a dominant team. They got that way by trading away Fran Tarkenton and by bringing him back.
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