It has been half a century since the Vikings held their first draft, on Dec. 28-29, 1960. They had the NFL’s first overall pick and used it to take running back Tommy Mason. In the second round, they selected linebacker Rip Hawkins. Then, in the third round, they used the 29th overall pick to choose a 6-foot quarterback from Georgia named Francis Tarkenton. Tarkenton went on to have a Pro Football Hall of Fame career, and today he is being cited by the Pioneer Press as the Vikings’ best draft pick in franchise history.
I talked to Tarkenton about that ’61 draft and how it unfolded.
BS: What do you remember about the day you were drafted?
FT: I was at the Blue-Gray game in Montgomery, Alabama. And I’d been married about a week before the draft. The draft then was early. It probably was right around the end of December, first of January. I was drafted by the Boston Patriots of the AFL. And I was drafted in the third round by the Vikings. I was a Washington Redskins fan. And George Preston Marshall was the owner of the Redskins. He was an interesting man. He called me numerous times and said I was going to be his No. 1 pick. Well, the Redskins drafted Norman Snead, who was playing in the Blue-Gray game with me. He was a great friend of mine. He got to go to my favorite team. I was the Vikings’ third-round pick. You get picked in the third round, they don’t think you can play. It pissed me off.
BS: So you had a chip on your shoulder about being taken in the third round?
FT: I used that as motivation every day. I wake up every morning with a little chip on my shoulder. I’m fighting every day in the business world. You have to wake up with a little chip on your shoulder, a little anxiety to stir the soul and get your motor running.
BS: Does it seem like it has been half a century since you were drafted?
FT: It’s hard for me to fathom that. But I don’t think about it that much. I’ve told people before: Here I was, drafted in the third round. I was 6 feet tall, 190 pounds, and there were four, five, six quarterbacks drafted ahead of me. We had six quarterbacks in training camp the first year. And one of them was George Shaw, a veteran the Vikings traded for. We only kept two quarterbacks in those days, and George was going to be there for sure. I had no notion I wouldn’t make it. If I didn’t make it, I don’t know what I would have done. I had no backup plan. The Patriots offered me $17,500 with a $5,000 bonus, and the Vikings signed me for a $12,500 salary and a $3,500 bonus. I didn’t have any money. The NFL was the real deal. The AFL was just a couple of years old. I wanted to prove to the world, to me, that I could play with the big boys in the National Football League. I had certainty about that. It probably was naïve on my part.
BS: In 1961, the draft wasn’t the spectacle it is now. How did you find out the Vikings drafted you?
FT: I got a phone call. I’m not really sure who called me. Somebody came down to the Blue-Gray game, and I don’t know who it was from the Vikings. They signed me. There was no negotiation. I had no agent. They said, “This is what we’re going to give you.” I was glad to sign. I was just glad to get the $3,500 bonus.
BS: In doing research about the Vikings’ first draft, one of our editors noticed you were called Frank Tarkenton in news stories. Was that a misprint or were you called Frank in college?
FT: I was never Frank. I was Francis in college, never Frank. You know, if you talk about value of the pick, when I was traded to the Giants in 1967, the Vikings got (two) No. 1 picks and two No. 2 picks. With those picks, the Vikings got Ron Yary (first overall pick, 1968). Clinton Jones was another guy they got (first round, 1967). Ed White was another (second round, 1969). And Bob Grim was another (second round, 1967). So if you go look at the value of that third-round pick (in 1961), they did all right. Then they got me back. They didn’t give up nearly as much going back. You throw that in there, and that third-round pick for me turned out pretty good.
BS: If you were picking for the Vikings, who would be your choice in the upcoming draft?
FT: Let me put a caveat there: I have not studied the quarterbacks or met with the quarterbacks. But I will say this: Very few people in pro football, going back to my day and including this day, understand how to pick a quarterback. I was a third-round pick. John Unitas was a free agent. Bart Starr was drafted in the 17th round. Joe Montana was a third-round pick. Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick, which is just stupid. JaMarcus Russell was a No. 1 (overall) pick. Vince Young was a No. 1 pick (third overall). The ability for this league to understand what the quarterback position is made up of is kind of ridiculous.
I haven’t seen these quarterbacks much (from this year’s draft-eligible class). I saw a few clips of Jake Locker in the last few weeks. I would have to sit down and see what’s inside of him. I want a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder. I want one pissed off for being a third-round pick. I want one with the type of confidence that says, “I can play better than everyone else.” Without that, you get buried with all the stuff around being a quarterback. When (the Raiders) drafted JaMarcus Russell, I heard out of the combine he had the greatest throwing exhibition in football. That doesn’t matter. Brady was a sixth-round pick. That’s because they didn’t think he was fast enough, strong enough, had a good enough arm.
You have to have attitude. I think they want to measure body fat, how far they can jump, how fast they run sideways, how far they can throw it, how hard they can throw it. It’s ridiculous. I want a guy who can play, who can make plays. It’s a hobby of mine to follow the draft. I think there are six or seven guys out there, and you probably can pick one out in the second round, who’d do as good as one in the first round.
I know this: It’s a quarterback’s league, and out of seven quarterbacks, you should be able to find one. I would rather see the Vikings pick one of those quarterbacks who slip to the second round. On the other hand, the guy I’ve liked and watched is Locker. He seems to have an attitude. He’s mobile. He throws on the run. Anyone can throw from the pocket. That’s a given, right? You’ve got to be able to throw off balance and throw accurately off balance.
Bob Sansevere can be reached at bsansevere@pioneerpress.com.
