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USA Today via Reuters
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Georgia Spring Game, Apr 21, 2018 Athens, GA, USA Georgia Bulldog former player and NFL, American Football Herren, USA Hall of Fame member Fran Tarkenton shown with a fan during the Georgia Spring Game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports, 21.04.2018 19:13:31, 10799256, NCAA Football, Sanford Stadium, Fran Tarkenton PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDalexZaninex 10799256
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/imago1020406115h.jpg?width=600)
USA Today via Reuters
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Georgia Spring Game, Apr 21, 2018 Athens, GA, USA Georgia Bulldog former player and NFL, American Football Herren, USA Hall of Fame member Fran Tarkenton shown with a fan during the Georgia Spring Game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports, 21.04.2018 19:13:31, 10799256, NCAA Football, Sanford Stadium, Fran Tarkenton PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDalexZaninex 10799256
The NFL league has been a witness to several players shining brightly and building a multi-million dollar fortune for themselves. Apart from the pay they receive for being a footballer, many athletes use their mental prowess in long-term planning in order to secure their future after their playing days are officially over. One good example is NFL GOAT Tom Brady, who even after hanging up his boots earlier this year, is continuing to build his fortune with smart investments and his clothing venture, the Brady brand.
There is another veteran NFL QB who has recently come into the highlights. After a glorious career of 18 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings in the 70s and 80s, he has now gone on to increase his net worth by a staggering 3650 percent post-retirement.
The road to being a millionaire for Fran Tarkenton
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Former NFL QB Fran Tarkenton had a scintillating career when he was playing in the league. Being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986, he has 3,686 of 6,467 passes for 47,003 yards (6th all-time) and 342 passing touchdowns (4th all-time) in his overall career. But this is not the only reason the veteran QB is in the news at the moment. According to Celebrity Net Worth, since his NFL days, Tarkenton currently has a net worth of $300 million. So how did he amass his enormous wealth?
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via Imago
Sept. 27, 2015 – Minneapolis, MN, U.S. – Minnesota Vikings president Mark Wilf and owner Zygi Wilf joked with Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton during pregame warm ups at TCF Bank Stadium before the Vikings vs. Lions game. CARLOS GONZALEZ
When initially named as the starting QB for the Vikings in the early 1960s, his salary was $12,500, which is the same as around $111,000 today. But this was not his only source of income. To further bolster his earnings, Tarkenton took up part-time jobs in the offseasons as well. He worked as a sales associate in a trucking company, bringing in an extra $600 per month. He also worked for a printing company and for an advertising firm BBD&O. Accumulating all his earnings, his peak single-season salary was $250,000.
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In totality, the QB earned $1.2 million throughout his NFL career. That is close to around $8 million today. But that’s not all, as he also had a successful business career post his NFL days.
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Tarkenton’s business ventures
After being the founder of Tarkenton Software, the company later went on to merge with KnowedgeWare. And when it went public in 1989, it made Tarkenton richer by a couple of million dollars. When the company was sold to Sterling Software in 1994 for $73 million, the former QB earned $6 million from the sale and also a $300,000 annual consulting salary. Today he owns Tarkenton Financial, GoSmallBiz, and Tarkenton Teleconferencing. Apart from this, he also owns more than $100 million worth of Apple stock and $15 million worth of a real estate.
All of these smart decisions and investment has helped in making Fran Tarkenton the $300 million persona he is today.
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