With Super Bowl 50 taking place in a little over a week, I
figured this is a good time to acknowledge the former football stars that were,
or currently are, part of our Masonic Family. We start with a former member of the
Order of DeMolay, legendary Quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
Francis Asbury Tarkenton, who later shortened the name to
Fran, was born on February 3rd, 1940 in Richmond, Virginia. He became
the star Quarterback for Athens High School, where he led the team to a state
championship in 1955. It was during his time in high school that Tarkenton
found DeMolay, joining Frank Hardeman Chapter from Athens, Georgia in 1954. He
attended the University of Georgia, where he led the Bulldogs to the Southeast
Conference Championship and to the Orange Bowl. He became an All-American
athlete for the Georgia Bulldogs.
In 1961, Tarkenton was drafted in the third round of the NFL
Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. In his first NFL game, Tarkenton threw 4
touchdowns, an accomplishment that had not been repeated until this past year
when Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans made the same accomplishment.
Tarkenton became known as a mobile Quarterback, often referred to as “The Mad
Scrambler” or “Frantic Fran.” In 1968, after playing his first 6 seasons for the
Minnesota Vikings, he was traded to the New York Giants. In 1972, which would
prove to be the prime of his career, Tarkenton was traded back to the Minnesota
Vikings. From here, Tarkenton would lead the Vikings to 3 Super Bowls in 4
years, unfortunately missing out on all three tries. Tarkenton was named the
League MVP in 1975 and was selected a total of 9 times to the Pro Bowl team.
Tarkenton became a Pro Football Hall of Famer in 1986.
After his playing days were over, Tarkenton became a very well-known
business man. Tarkenton has started twelve businesses, including a
multi-million dollar computer software company that he sold in 1994. He also
became known as a motivational speaker and an author, writing the books “What
Losing Taught Me about Winning,” and “How to Motivate People: The Team Strategy
for Success.”
In 1986, the same year Tarkenton was inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame, DeMolay International inducted him into the DeMolay Hall
of Fame. He was a Senior DeMolay as well as an Active Legion of Honor
recipient. This Hall of Fame class was the inaugural class for DeMolay
International.
“It is a great honor to be
inducted into the DeMolay Hall of Fame. In today’s society where there is so
much violence and heartache, it’s a gratifying feeling to know there is such a
fine organization as DeMolay to look up to and lean on for guidance and support.
I am proud to be a member!”
Be proud of who you are,
both as a person and as a DeMolay.
Until next time – “Dad” Joe
Pullin
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