Paul Flatley, the 1963 Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year for the Minnesota Vikings, has died at the age of 84, the team announced Sunday.
The team said he died Saturday, but no additional details were provided.
Flatley played five seasons for the Vikings followed by three with the Atlanta Falcons, piling up 4,905 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns on 306 catches over eight years in the NFL.
Shifting from halfback to flanker at Northwestern, Flatley was a fourth-round pick (44th overall) by Minnesota in the 1963 draft, joining a team in just its third season. He had five catches for 72 yards in the season opener and started all 14 games in his debut season, finishing with 51 catches for 867 yards and four touchdowns.
He ranked eighth in the league in receiving yards and was the only rookie to land in the top 10. He won the AP honor over Baltimore tight end John Mackey. Flatley was also named to a Pro Bowl in 1966.
Flatley said he was lucky to to start his career under coach Norm Van Brocklin.
“He had been an all-star quarterback and knew the passing game very well,” Flatley said in 2020, according to the Vikings. “And I had a quarterback by the name of Fran Tarkenton who could keep the ball alive, and I could run several patterns on the same play call, and he would find me. I learned the game because of those two people, and I was very fortunate to be a Minnesota Viking.”
Over five seasons with the Vikings, Flatley played in 64 games and had 202 catches for 3,222 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Later, with the Falcons, he appeared in 42 games with 104 catches for 1,683 yards and seven TDs.
After his playing career, he was a color commentator for the University of Minnesota football broadcast team for years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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