Tommy Kramer
Tommy Kramer was born in San Antonio, Texas, United States on March 7th, 1955 and is the Football Player. At the age of 69, Tommy Kramer biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 69 years old, Tommy Kramer has this physical status:
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Kramer, born March 7, 1955, is an American football player who was a quarterback in the NFL from 1977 to 1990.
After being named MVP of the 1977 Senior Bowl, he played collegiately at Rice University and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round (27th overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012 with the 2012 class.
Early years
Kramer played football at Robert E. Lee High School in San Antonio. In 1971, he guided the Volunteers to a state championship and then to the state semi-finals in 1972. In Irving, Texas, the state championship game of 1971 was the first high school game played in the new Texas Stadium (Dallas Cowboys). The Lee Volunteers defeated the Lee Volunteers 28–27, which has been praised by some as the best high school game ever played in Texas. Pat Rockett (played major league baseball for the Atlanta Braves) and Richard Osborne (played for the Philadelphia Eagles) were among Kramer's high school teammates.
During Kramer's two years on the varsity, the Volunteers defeated Wichita Falls High School 28–27 for the Class 4A state title in 1971 and then fell 21–20 to Baytown Sterling 21-20 in the 1972 state semifinals. The 1971 squad, led by head coach John Ferrara, finished 14–0–1 – a 7–7 tie with rival Churchill that kept the Volunteers from being perfect – while the 1972 squad went 13–1. Lee won by throwing the ball in an age where most Texas high school football teams churned out yardage with ground-oriented offenses like the wishbone or the veer.
Kramer rushed for 2,588 yards as a freshman, later a state record, and had 149 of 294 passes for 28 touchdowns. He finished 327 of 597 attempts for 5,489 yards and 54 TDs in two seasons. With his deft passing, Kramer was surrounded by sure-handed receivers Richard Osborne, Pat Rockett, and Gary Haack. Kramer played just one game as a varsity player, defeating 26-1–1. He made his debut in the 1971 season opener, replacing starter Bruce Trimmier and rallying Lee to a 7-3 victory over Alamo Heights on a rainy night. It's here that he obtained the nickname "Two-Minute Tommy," which continued for the remainder of his football career.
Personal life
After his third divorce in 2020, Kramer spent the next 30 years in Texas before returning to Minnesota.
College career
Kramer joined Lee in a long line of San Antonio products to play college football at Rice University after a stellar career at the University.
For four years, Kramer led the Owls in passing, but his service and season marks were above par excellence at Rice until they were shattered by Chase Clement, another San Antonio signal caller. Kramer left Rice with school records in single-season passing yards (6,197), season total offense (3,372), season touchdown passes (37), season total touchdowns (25) and career total touchdowns (48). In 1976, he was named in the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame as the Rice's MVP and was named in 1984.
In 1976, Kramer competed in the Senior Bowl and the Blue-Gray Game and was named MVP of the Senior Bowl. In 1976, he was also awarded the Fort Worth Kiwanis Sportsmanship Award.
Kramer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Professional career
Kramer appeared in five games of his rookie season in 1977, with one start and four mop-up roles as the heir apparent to replace Fran Tarkenton, but four games will be played as the starters for four of the last five games. In the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers and Kramer, the Vikings lost 24-7. Kramer would win 28-27 after going 9-of-13 for 188 yards with three touchdowns. He made his first appearance against the Oakland Raiders this week. In the 35-13 loss, he went 16-of-34 for 177 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. In the upcoming year, Kramer will be back in mop-up service as Tarkenton's last game will be played. Kramer will be fully installed as the starter for the 1979 season.
He earned the nickname "Two-Minute Tommy" for his comebacks (and one in the playoffs), with fifteen of the Vikings leading them to nineteen comebacks (and one in the playoffs), with fifteen of them coming from Kramer in each year since 1980. However, Kramer will be plagued by injuries in his eleven seasons with the Vikings, since he started 109 of a total 152 games for the team during his time, and he played every game of a season twice (1979 and 1982), as well as concussions. He suffered from knee and shoulder injuries, multiple concussions, and a 1987 preseason spine injury that he described as "basically complete" during his career.
1980 was a pivotal moment for him and the Vikings. For the first time since 1978, he will go 8-7 as a starter, leading the Vikings back to the postseason for the first time since 1978. With a 55.7 completion percentage, he threw 3,397 yards with 23 touchdowns to 24 interceptions. He saved his best for near-last in the season. He'll face the Cleveland Browns in the penultimate game of the regular season as he throws a game-winning Hail Mary pass with six seconds remaining. In the fourth quarter, they had trailed 23-9, but Kramer threw three touchdowns in the quarter, two to Ahmad Rashad late. On the final play of the game, Rashad was entrapped in a group of Browns defenders but he managed to catch the ball and carry him to the end zone. Miracle at the Met, a production that has been called Miracle at the Met, clinched a division championship for the Vikings. Kramer had his best game to date, throwing 38-of-49 for 456 yards and four touchdowns. He is also the Vikings' only quarterback to throw for over 450 yards. He faced the Philadelphia Eagles against the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs this year. Despite being 14-7 at halftime, a string of turnovers culminated in a 31-16 loss, and Kramer threw 19-of-39 for 209 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions.
Kramer led the Vikings to the postseason in 1982 with a strike-shortened 5-4 record. The Falcons led in the fourth quarter 21-16 before Kramer led them to a comeback to a 30-24 victory. With two touchdowns and one intercept, he led the Vikings to the second round of the playoffs. Kramer was unable to generate magic the following week as Washington defeated the Washington Redskins 21-7 on their way to the Super Bowl, but not quite. Kramer threw 18-of-39 for 252 yards.
In 1986, Kramer had his last flash of brilliance. While leading the league in passer rating with 92.6, he went 7-6 in his thirteen starts while throwing for 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns to ten interceptions. On a 16-of-23 day for 241 yards, Kramer had his highlight day against the Green Bay Packers on September 28, 1986, when he destroyed the Green Bay Packers 6-9, for six touchdown passes (with four in the first quarter). For the first and only time, he was invited to the Pro Bowl. It was the last season for the most part of the games (starting with thirteen games). Kramer would split time with Wade Wilson (who had been on the team since 1981), with Kramer starting five games and Wilson starting seven, with Wilson suffering a preseason fractured his spine, which has postponed his return to action. In his 81 passes for six game appearances, Kramer threw four touchdowns to three interceptions. When the Vikings sneaked into the playoffs at 8-7, Kramer was the starting quarterback, but Wilson was forced to be suspended after a few drives. The Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints 44-10 after Kramer was injured on the first play of the game. Wilson was 5-of-9 on 50 yards. From there, the Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship Game, with Wilson starting the next two games. He made six starts in 1988 with appearances in four other games. On 173 total pass attempts, he went from 1,264 yards with five touchdowns to nine interceptions in four weeks. He played in eight games and four starts as a Vikings quarterback, while throwing 906 yards and seven interceptions in 1989. In a playoff loss to San Francisco, his last appearance in a Vikings uniform was mop-up service late. In the 41-13 loss, he went 9-of-19 for 110 yards and an interception. He was deferred before the season.
In 1990, the New Orleans Saints drafted him. He appeared in just one game for the Saints (against the Vikings) and then retired after the 1990 season.