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MINTARKENTON10

Fran Tarkenton

Retired

Minnesota Vikings · QB

Fran Tarkenton recorded 243 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 18 rostered seasons with Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants.

▶Best highlights

193.4

pass yds/gm

15.1

rush yds/gm

11

playoff games

243

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Fran Tarkenton's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fran Tarkenton, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Fran Tarkenton's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. In the Divisional Round against WSH and Minnesota Vikings, Fran Tarkenton recorded 170 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 3 rushing yards in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fran Tarkenton
  2. #2. In the Super Bowl against Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, Fran Tarkenton recorded 182 passing yards, 17 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fran Tarkenton
  3. #3. In the Super Bowl against Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders, Fran Tarkenton recorded 205 passing yards, 1 passing touchdowns in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fran Tarkenton
  4. #4. Against Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, Fran Tarkenton recorded 280 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, 18 rushing yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fran Tarkenton
  5. #5. Against San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, Fran Tarkenton recorded 278 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 71 rushing yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fran Tarkenton

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Divisional Round
1976
W
WSH
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
DEC 18, 1976

WSH vs Minnesota Vikings

Divisional Round · Dec 18, 1976

170 pass yds · 3 pass TD · 2 INT

Super Bowl
VIII
MIAMIDOLPHINS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
JAN 13, 1974

Miami Dolphins vs Minnesota Vikings

Super Bowl VIII · Jan 13, 1974

182 pass yds · 0 pass TD · 1 INT

Super Bowl
XI
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
OAKLANDRAIDERS
JAN 9, 1977

Minnesota Vikings vs Oakland Raiders

Super Bowl XI · Jan 9, 1977

205 pass yds · 1 pass TD · 2 INT

Regular Season
1970
ARIZONACARDINALS
NEW YORKGIANTS
OCT 25, 1970

Arizona Cardinals vs New York Giants

Regular Season · Oct 25, 1970

280 pass yds · 5 pass TD · 0 INT

Regular Season
1966
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
OCT 30, 1966

San Francisco 49ers vs Minnesota Vikings

Regular Season · Oct 30, 1966

278 pass yds · 2 pass TD · 1 INT

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Fran Tarkenton's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 407 passing yards

Regular Season
1965
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
OCT 24, 1965

Minnesota Vikings vs San Francisco 49ers

Regular Season · Oct 24, 1965

407 pass yds · 3 pass TD · 0 INT

Career high: 5 passing touchdowns

Regular Season
1970
ARIZONACARDINALS
NEW YORKGIANTS
OCT 25, 1970

Arizona Cardinals vs New York Giants

Regular Season · Oct 25, 1970

280 pass yds · 5 pass TD · 0 INT

Career high: 99 rushing yards

Regular Season
1961
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
LOS ANGELESRAMS
NOV 5, 1961

Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams

Regular Season · Nov 5, 1961

156 pass yds · 1 pass TD · 1 INT

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Fran Tarkenton's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1961–1966

01
MINTARKENTON10Fran Tarkenton
MINMARSHALL70Jim Marshall
MINTINGELHOFF53Mick Tingelhoff

Tarkenton improvises from the beginning

Minnesota Vikings · The expansion Vikings

Tarkenton threw four touchdowns off the bench in the franchise's first game while the line of a future contender began taking shape.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1964–1978

02
NYGTARKENTON10Fran Tarkenton
NYGTUCKER—Bob Tucker
NYGLOCKHART—Spider Lockhart

A proud organization loses its structure

New York Giants · The wilderness

The Giants endured fifteen straight losing seasons and a chaotic stadium transition before new leadership rebuilt football operations.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1967–1979

03
MINTARKENTON10Fran Tarkenton
MINPAGE88Alan Page
MINELLER81Carl Eller

Four NFC championships without the final win

Minnesota Vikings · The Purple People Eaters

Bud Grant's disciplined teams and a historic defensive front reached four Super Bowls and made Minnesota a permanent contender.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

NFL passing yards leader · 1978NFL passing touchdowns leader · 197518 NFL seasons243 career games47,003 career passing yards342 career passing touchdowns3,674 career rushing yards32 career rushing touchdownsJersey: 1011 playoff appearances3 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 17, 1961Most recent: Dec 31, 1978

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history