RICHMOND — Paul Flatley, a former NFL star wide receiver from Richmond, Indiana, has died.
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The Minnesota Vikings announced that Flatley died on Saturday. He was 84.
Flatley was born in Richmond on January 30, 1941. He played quarterback and running back at Richmond High School and went on to play college ball at Northwestern University.
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The Vikings selected Flatley in the fourth round of the 1963 NFL Draft and he went on to play five seasons in Minnesota, according to the team.
Flatley started all 14 games of his rookie season, recording 51 catches for 867 yards and four touchdowns. His 51 catches broke Jerry Reichow’s franchise record of 50 receptions in a season and was the franchise record until it was broken in 1976.
Flatley was named the 1963 NFL Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.
Former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton called Flatley “the best receiver” in his first stint in Minnesota.
“He was very smart on the field and off the field. In 1965, we had a great comeback out in California versus the San Francisco 49ers when we were down 21 points three separate times. We came back to win the game 42-41 behind 7 catches for 202 yards and 2 TDs from Paul Flatley. He was the catalyst for our great comeback. Paul will be missed,” Tarkenton said.
The game Tarkenton spoke of was the first time in franchise history that a receiver recorded over 200 yards in a game, according to the team.
After his time in Minnesota, Flatley went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1970.
He ended his career having played 106 games with 306 receptions, 4,905 yards, and 24 touchdowns, according to the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
Following his playing career, he went on to become a sports broadcaster.
Flatley was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1978 and into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
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