ATLANTA — The elevator beeped, and the doors opened. We had arrived on the 17th floor. Fluorescent white lights hung from the ceiling of the office space.
The sun, peeking in on this scorching summer day, brightened the gray walls. Past the expansive lobby and down a skinny hallway was a room with a cracked door. When the man inside heard the knock, he blurted, “Come on in!” Advertisement Fran Tarkenton’s glasses pressed up against the tip of his nose.
He slouched in a chair, holding an iPad. Spotting me, he placed the tablet on his wooden desk, pulled the black frames off his face, set them down, then motioned toward the chair on the other side of the desk. “Sit down!” he said.
“What are you waiting for?” On the wall behind him were dozens of framed photos: Tarkenton with revered Minnesota Vikings head coach Bud Grant, posing with the board of directors at Coca-Cola, standing next to former president George W. Bush. He didn’t acknowledge any of these pictures, the bobblehead of himself on his desk or the paintings leaning against the walls.
He ran his hand through his wispy white hair and smiled. He seemed amused, like he couldn’t wait to unfurl stories and explain why, at 84 years old — 63 years after his NFL debut — he still drives to this building in Buckhead to work almost daily. He would talk for hours, mentioning business titans (Warren Buffett and Steve Jobs), NFL players ( Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins ), famed football coaches (Nick Saban .