Tuesday, January 5, 1999
Tuesday, January 5, 1999
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. (2 Corinthians 3:4
NRSV)
The son of a minister, Tarkenton has always had a good sense of who he is. As one of his
teammates on the Vikings once described him, he has "a stranglehold on reality." Since leaving
professional football he has amassed a personal fortune of over $60 million.
In a interview, Tarkenton revealed for the first time how he became the starting quarterback in
college.
The University of Georgia was playing the University of Texas. Tarkenton was the third-string
quarterback on Georgia's team with no one predicting he would advance beyond that lowly
position.
In this particular game Georgia was having a difficult time moving the ball. Indeed, late in the
third quarter they did not have a single first down. Now they were backed up near their own end
zone. It was third down. Suddenly, this young third-string quarterback started out onto the field.
No one had told him to go into the game. However, no one tried to stop him either. The
first-string quarterback saw Tarkenton heading to the huddle and assumed that the coach had
decided to replace him, so he trotted off the field. Tarkenton took charge, led the team down the
field for a touchdown, and the rest is history, as they say. He was started on one of the most
remarkable careers the sports world has ever seen.
Can you imagine a player on a major college team having the gull to step out onto a field under
those kind of circumstances? That's confidence! God can give us that feeling too.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA
I believe Fran Tarkenton was for many years the scrambling quarterback of the Minnesota
Vikings and before that the University of Georgia. He was one of the most prolific passers in NFL
history.
Prayer: Dear God, give me confidence to boldly lead a life in Christ. Amen.
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