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We are moving right along in the Sweet 16 of our Greatest Viking Of All Time Tournament, folks! This match-up is the only one of the third round that pits a Hall of Famer against a non-Hall of Famer, but both men have outstanding qualifications and deserve to have reached this stage of the tournament.
Fran Tarkenton
Alma Mater: University of Georgia
Acquired by Vikings: Round 3, 1961 NFL Draft; trade with New York Giants, 1967
Seasons in Minnesota: 13 (1961-1966; 1972-1978)
Position: Quarterback
How He Got Here: Defeated Tim Irwin 188-12 in Round 1; Defeated Keith Millard 181-13 in Round 2
Fran Tarkenton is one of the most prolific quarterbacks not just in Minnesota Vikings history, but in the history of the National Football League. When he retired, he held virtually every major passing record the league had to offer, including yardage and touchdown passes. As you can see above, he had two separate stints with the Vikings, and was the team's quarterback for three of their four Super Bowl appearances. There's a reason that Sir Francis is one of the top four seeds in this tournament.
Kevin Williams
Alma Mater: Oklahoma State University
Acquired by Vikings: Round 1, 2003 NFL Draft
Seasons in Minnesota: 10 (2003-2012)
Position: Defensive tackle
How He Got Here: Defeated Brad Johnson 137-10 in Round 1; Defeated Jim Kleinsasser 125-89 in Round 2
The career of Kevin Williams got off to a bit of a rough start, as the Vikings chose him with the 9th selection in the 2003 NFL Draft. The problem with this is that the Vikings were slated to pick at #7, and got passed up by two teams when they thought they had a trade in place with the Baltimore Ravens. As it turns out, the Vikings could have waited a couple more hours to take Williams and still gotten themselves a bargain. Currently the longest tenured member of the roster, Williams is a six-time Pro Bowler and a five-time All-Pro, as well as a member of the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2000s. His 56.5 career sacks place him in fourth on the Vikings' all-time list.
If you need a primer on how the voting for our contest works, we have one for you at this link here. Remember, rec the comments to register your vote. Putting "Vote - Name" in the subject line of a post does not count.
If you want to vote for Fran Tarkenton, rec the comment that says "Vote - Fran Tarkenton"
If you want to vote for Kevin Williams, rec the comment that says "Vote - Kevin Williams"
Voting is open for 24 hours, just like always, folks. Have at it!