This is the second installment of a weekly feature during this NFL season that I’m calling “Throwback Thursday”, in which I highlight a past encounter between 2 teams that are scheduled to play on that weekend. This week, one of the scheduled games is an NFC North divisional matchup between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, who have been NFL division rivals since the Vikings came in the league as an expansion franchise in 1961. These 2 clubs played on opening day of the ’61 season in the Vikings first ever regular season NFL game. The Bears were one of the league’s flagship’s franchises at the time, led by legendary coach George Halas. The Vikings originally were committed to joining the fledging American Football League, but the NFL convinced the ownership group to jump ship and be added as a new team in the established league. The NFL, at that time, wasn’t very generous to new teams when it came to stocking their rosters through the expansion draft, so the Vikings were a ragtag bunch. They hired Norm Van Brocklin, who had just ended his playing career as an NFL quarterback by guiding the Philadelphia Eagles to the 1960 NFL title over Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, as head coach. The “Dutchman”, as he was known, was a perfect fit to lead the new team in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region. The opening day matchup, on paper, looked more like a sacrificial offering, with the Vikings playing the lamb. Van Brocklin’s team didn’t show much in the early stages of the game, so the coach played a long shot – benching his starting quarterback, veteran George Shaw, in favor of an unknown rookie, some guy named Fran Tarkenton. Tarkenton went on to throw four touchdown passes while running for another in a stunning performance, as the upstart Vikings shocked the Bears, 37-13. Jerry Reichow, a receiver who played on the ’60 title-winning Eagle team with Van Brocklin, caught 3 passes for 101 yards and one of the four TDs. The Vikes eventually came down to earth and finished their first year with a 3-11 won/loss record, and in fact, on the season’s final day, the Bears got their revenge by pounding the Vikings 52-35 at Wrigley Field. But for one day, on opening day of their inaugural season, they were NFL world-beaters, trouncing one of the league’s top teams. Tarkenton, of course, became one of the top players in franchise history, and wound up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With his scrambling style of play, he would probably be a great fit in today’s pro game that features read-option running quarterbacks.
QB Fran Tarkenton