FRAN TARKENTON

Fran didn't want to be brought along nice and slowly, he wanted to be brought along nice and fast."" Draft-choice Tarkenton has just joined the Minnesota Vikings and--in that inspired line--just begun to fight coach Norm Van Brocklin. One plus of this particular Sports Hero bio, especially for older readers, is the open expression of Tarkenton's cockiness and comedowns. Another is concentration on the play--starting with Fran, as a boy, lining up bubble-gum cards. Kids can even pick up pointers from his rookie-season mistakes (and learn how not to handle people from Van Brocklin's public reproofs). The emphasis, wisely, is on Tarkenton's rise with Minnesota, with secondary, clarifying attention to the recent Viking Super-Bowl defeats. The scrambling quarterback's ""astonishing durability"" may be at an end; this also puts the rough spots on permanent record.