Paul Flatley, the first of a long line of wide receivers of the Great Minnesota Vikings, died at the age of 84, the team announced on Sunday.
The Vikings said he died on Saturday, but no additional details were provided.
The recruit of the year of the 1963 of the year Associated Press, Flatley accumulated more than 3,000 reception yards in five seasons, mainly in Minnesota, where he preceded the great Ahmad Rashad, Jake Reed, Chris Carter, Randy Moss and the current team of the team, Justin Jefferson.
He ended his career with three seasons in Atlanta by playing for the Falcons. With many fans of Vikings crying for his loss and offering online prayers, an aficionado noted that they “hated seeing Flatley in a Falcons uniform. Does not seem good.
Flatley is from Richmond, Indiana – the same city which gave the NFL Baltimore Colts and the head coach of the New York Jets, Web Ewbank, the companion Running Back Vagas Ferguson, and Lamar Lundy of the “Fearsome Foursome” of the Rams.
After going from the half-back to Flanker in Northwestern, Flatley was a choice of fourth round (44th in total) by Minnesota in the 1963 draft, joining a team in its third season.
He achieved five captures for 72 yards at the opening of the season and started the 14 games of his first season, ending with 51 catches for 867 yards and four affected.
Paul Flatley, the first of a long line of large receptors from Grands Vikings, died at 84
After going from the half-back to Flanker in Northwestern, Flatley was a choice of fourth round (44th in total) by Minnesota in the 1963 draft, joining a team in his third season
Flatley holds in the 35 yard key of 35 yards by Fran Tankenton during the match against the lions
Flatley ranked eighth in the league by receiving yards and was the only recruit to land in the top 10. He won the honor AP against Baltimore winger John Mackey.
He later said that he had the chance to start his career under coach Norm Van Brocklin.
“It had been a quarter of the stars and knew the past game very well,” said Flatley in 2020, according to the Vikings.
“And I had a quarter of the name of Frankenton who could keep the ball in life, and I could execute several models on the same game call, and he would find me. I learned the game because of these two people, and I was lucky to be a minnesota Viking.
In five seasons with the Vikings, Flatley played in 64 games and succeeded 202 captures for 3,222 yards and 17 affected.
“Great Early Viking,” recalls an online fan. “Fran has completed him a lot on him during season 8-5 1964.”
The Vikings were actually 8-5-1 in 1964.
After his player career, Flatley served for years as a color commentator for radio broadcasts from the University of Minnesota football team.
