Brian Sipe

Brian Sipe

Sipe c. 1979
No. 17
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1949-08-08) August 8, 1949 San Diego, California
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
College:	San Diego State
NFL draft:	1972 / round: 13 / pick: 330
Career history
Cleveland Browns (1974–1983) New Jersey Generals (1984) Jacksonville Bulls (1985)
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl (1980) First-team All-Pro (1980) Second-team All-Pro (1979) NFL Most Valuable Player (1980) UPI AFC Offensive Player of the Year (1980) 101 Awards AFC Offensive Player of the Year (1980) Joe F. Carr Trophy (1980) First-team All-PCAA (1971)
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT: 154–149 Yards: 23,713 Passer rating: 74.8 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Brian Winfield Sipe (born August 8, 1949) is a former professional American football quarterback who played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1983. He then played in the United States Football League for two seasons.

Although mostly sidelined for the first several years of his NFL career, Sipe was eventually recognized as one of the better quarterbacks in Browns history, winning the league's MVP Award in 1980. He was a college football star under head coach Don Coryell at San Diego State University, where he studied architecture and became the team's quarterbacks coach in 2009, remaining in that role for five years, through 2014. He also competed in the 1961 Little League World Series for El Cajon, California, and prepped at Grossmont High School.

Playing career

National Football League

Drafted in the 13th round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, Sipe spent the first two years of his career as a member of the team's reserve squad, seeing no action on the field.

In 1974, Sipe started four games after helping the Browns come back from a 12-point deficit against the Denver Broncos on October 27. However, after winning just one of the four contests (a 21-14 victory against the New England Patriots on November 11), he was replaced by Mike Phipps.

The team's disastrous 1975 season saw Sipe enter the starting lineup after three consecutive losses in which the Browns were outscored 124-26. Sipe's three starts reduced the margin of defeat for the squad, but still resulted in a trio of defeats, sending him back to the sidelines. The following year, he finally moved into a consistent starting role following an opening game injury to Phipps on September 12, 1976. As the team's signal caller that season, he led them to a 9-5 record, a six-game improvement over the previous season. 1976 was the team's second year under head coach Forrest Gregg.

During the first half of the 1977 season, he led the team to five wins in their first seven games. However, on November 13 of that year, Sipe suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at Three Rivers Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter of the team's 35-31 defeat. With Phipps gone to the Chicago Bears, the Browns turned to back-up quarterback Dave Mays, who went 1-3 as a starter. The 1977 also saw a head coaching change as Gregg was fired and defensive coordinator Dick Modzelewski took over for the final game. Sipe came back the following year to throw for more than 2,900 yards and 21 touchdown passes, but the team's overall inconsistency resulted in an 8-8 finish.

Serving as the catalyst for many thrilling moments during the 1979 and 1980 seasons, Sipe helped the team earn the nickname "Kardiac Kids." The designation was in recognition of their tendency to produce heart-stopping comeback victories in the final minutes of many games. Over the course of these two seasons, Sipe led the Browns to eight comebacks and eleven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Sipe lead Cleveland to a 4-0 start in 1979, including a season opening overtime win over the New York Jets.

1980 MVP award winning season

In 1980, Sipe passed for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns, helping to lead the Browns to their first postseason berth since 1972. Individually, his efforts earned him the NFL MVP award and a selection to the 1981 Pro Bowl.

At the end of the divisional playoff game the Browns played against the Raiders following the 1980 NFL season, the Browns trailed the Raiders with a score of 14-12. After the Browns forced the Raiders to turn the ball over on downs on the Browns' 15-yard line, Sipe led the Browns back down the field, reaching the Raiders 13-yard line in 9 plays. With just 49 seconds remaining, the Browns could have settled for a game-winning field goal, but due to the brutally cold and windy weather in Cleveland that day (which rendered a field goal attempt significantly more risky) Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano instead opted to pass the ball. Sipe attempted a pass to Browns Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome, but it was intercepted in the end zone by Raiders safety Mike Davis. That play brought the Browns' season to a heartbreaking close, while the Raiders went on to win Super Bowl XV over the Philadelphia Eagles. The play call - "Red Right 88" - would be immortalized in Cleveland sports infamy.

1981-82 seasons

Sipe signing autographs in Canton, Ohio in 1979.

Despite throwing for 3,876 yards the following year, Sipe was at the controls as the team staggered to a 5-11 mark. In 1982, Sipe and the Browns won just two of the team's first six games in the strike-marred NFL season, and Sipe was benched in favor of third-year signal caller Paul McDonald.

United States Football League

Sipe regained his starting role the following year, but angered Browns management by negotiating with New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) during the season. Sipe finished the season with 3,566 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes. Sipe had led Cleveland to a 9–7 record and the team just missed qualifying for the AFC playoffs. He then signed with the Generals and played for them in 1984, before concluding his career with the Jacksonville Bulls in 1985. Sipe's contract with New Jersey was a three-year deal for $600,000.

Post-playing career

Sipe lives in San Diego and coached the football team at Santa Fe Christian School in Solana Beach, California, where he helped the Eagles to four CIF titles and a combined record of 75-21-1. Sipe was hired on January 18, 2009, as the quarterbacks coach for his alma mater, San Diego State. Sipe served in that role through the end of the 2014 season.

Career statistics

NFL career

Year	Team	GP	Att	Comp	Pct	Yards	TD	Int	Rate
1974	CLE	10	108	59	54.6	603	1	7	47.0
1975	CLE	7	88	45	51.1	427	1	3	54.4
1976	CLE	14	312	178	57.1	2,113	17	14	77.3
1977	CLE	9	195	112	57.4	1,233	9	14	61.8
1978	CLE	16	399	222	55.6	2,906	21	15	80.7
1979	CLE	16	535	286	53.5	3,793	28	26	73.4
1980	CLE	16	554	337	60.8	4,132	30	14	91.4
1981	CLE	16	567	313	55.2	3,876	17	25	68.2
1982	CLE	6	185	101	54.6	1,064	4	8	60.7
1983	CLE	15	496	291	58.7	3,566	26	23	79.1
Career		125	3,439	1,944	56.5	23,713	154	149	74.8

USFL career

Year	Team	GP	Att	Comp	Pct	Yards	TD	Int	Rate
1984	NJG	16	324	192	59.3	2,540	17	15	82.3
1985	JAX	—	89	55	61.8	685	4	2	91.5
Career		—	413	247	56.5	3,225	21	17	84.3

See also

• List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders