Fran: The Fan's Man!

A Story by Abishai100

A fan-diorama diamond to the Vikings-cap Fran Tarkenton (the 'fan's man'!), a portrait of what makes American football/sports discrete.

A fan 'diary' homage to Fran Tarkenton, inspired loosely by Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise)!

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When the great Minnesota Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton retired in 1978, he owned every major NFL QB record at the time! In his debut-football game, Fran scored 4 touchdowns against the Chicago Bears, a feat not repeated until a Tennessee Titan did so in 2015! His football rookie-card is considered by many to be a 'hallmark' of what sets NFL trading-cards apart and special and not 'overshadowed' by American baseball-cards!

Why would someone want to write a fan-diorama about the legendary Minnesota Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton? Well, I'm doing so, because I moved to the USA from Asia and studied at Dartmouth College (Ivy League) where I developed a great fascination with American culture/media and sports-fanfare, and that's when I started learning about NFL history and Fran Tarkenton and his sociocultural diadem-contributions to the American aesthetic(s). Someone who wrote about Fran (the 'fan's man'!) might claim, "It's easy to write about the great Tark(enton), because he made Super Bowls...fun."

Tarkenton played for the Georgia Bulldogs in college (NCAA) before being drafted by the Vikings in 1961. He played for the Vikings for multiple seasons before transferring to the Giants (NY) and then returning to the Vikings where he propelled his original Minnesota team to undefeated record(s) and Super Bowl appearances, earning himself magazine-cover 'laurels' and re-presentations of American dreams!

Fran (the 'fan's man'!) helped his beloved Minnesota Vikings capture 3 NFC Championship titles (1973, 1974, 1976) against rival teams Cowboys (27-10), Rams (14-10), and once more the Rams (24-13). This helped the 'great Tark' reach 3 Super Bowls (VIII, IX, XI). In Bowl IX, Fran (the 'fan's man'!) was in his 16th NFL season and had become the league's all-time leader in pass completions, passing yards, and TD-passes and threw 17 TDs and only 8 interceptions that particular season. However, losing 3 Super Bowls had made him something of a 'heartbreak kid' as writers might note (including me!), which is why this fan-diorama is really about what makes American football (and sports in general!) a thing of great sentiment.

If you ask any NFL-fan in the USA what makes the Vikings great, and what made the Tarkenton era of Vikings-football great (the time of the famed 'Purple People Eaters' nicknamed defense-prowess complementing Fran's passing!), they'd tell you about the 'American spirit' behind the great state of Minnesota and the colors/style of the Vikings' aura of football elegance, and how/why Fran (the 'fan's man'!) continues to be 'touted' as a cheerers' 'diadem' for sports' elegiac homage to the 'beauty-magic' of broadcast athletics and the glamour/design behind it!

The modern-day Vikings are still great. They continue to strive for great achievements. Their 'laurel' will always be highlighted by the glorious era of Fran Tarkenton, as they contemplate what's required in continuing NFL-tales about the 'beauty-magic' of sports/football...dance.

I grew up in New Jersey and Philadelphia (East Coast) after moving to the USA from Asia (India) in 1983. I therefore grew up cheering mostly for local teams the Devils (ice-hockey) and the Eagles (football). However, I developed a deep love of NFL fanfare and Super Bowl media and then began to learn/study football-history histrionics, which is how/why I developed my historico-anthropological appreciation/understanding for what made the great Fran (the 'fan's man'!) a diplomat of American sports-diagrams. I may not be a 'Minnesota Kid' like the great Tark, but I'm certainly 'in awe' of what made the fan's man a terrific messenger of sports' unusual toasts to the 'gems' of competition-dials.

I consider myself a secret 'closet-fan' (therefore) of the great Fran (the 'fan's man'!) Tarkenton. I like the idea of fashioning 'bios' of terrific figures/celebrities in American sociocultural history, and Fran Tarkenton is a member of a 'diorama' list which might include 'diplomatic' figures (e.g., Ulysses Grant, Mark Twain, Steve Jobs, Lee Iaccoca, Denzel Washington, Bob Dylan, etc.). I'm writing this fan-diorama reflecting my fanfare of the Vikings, my admiration of Fran Tarkenton, and why I consider sports-writing a hallmark of Western civilization 'diaries'...something that in fact actually makes me something of a 'democracy' figure (perhaps).

If you might find me at Rockefeller Center (NYC) this Christmas ice-skating and wearing a classic Vikings cardigan/sweater, I wouldn't be shocked if you approached me with the question, "Do you think the great Fran Tarkenton is an American diplomat of dollars?"