Athletes - Frank Ryan

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	Athletes - Frank Ryan

Frank Beall Ryan, Ph.D. (born July 12, 1936) is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Los Angeles Rams (1958-1961), Cleveland Browns (1962-1968) and Washington Redskins (1969-1970). Although he led the Browns to their last National Football League title in 1964, Ryan is best remembered for being perhaps the only Ph.D. in mathematics to play in the league.

Football career

After attending high school in Fort Worth, Texas, Ryan went to Rice University, but was unable to establish himself during the course of his collegiate career, splitting time behind center with King Hill, who was receiving most of the snaps.

Given his desire to continue toward a PhD, Ryan originally decided not to play professional football after the Rams chose him in the fifth round of the 1958 NFL draft. However, he changed his mind after he was able to enroll at both UCLA and University of California-Berkeley in pursuit of the advanced degree.

Ryan spent the first four years of his career primarily in a reserve capacity, but did start a handful of games in competition with teammates Billy Wade and Zeke Bratkowski. In 1961, he and future Hall of Famer Ollie Matson connected on a 96-yard touchdown reception, establishing a new team record. However, the arrival of highly-touted newcomer Roman Gabriel made Ryan expendable, with the veteran becoming part of a multi-player deal with the Browns on July 12, 1962, his 26th birthday.

Acquired to back up starting quarterback Jim Ninowski, Ryan moved into the starting slot on October 28 when Ninowski broke his collarbone while being tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive lineman Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb. With no other candidates to compete with, Ryan established his leadership and held on to the starting role for much of the next six seasons. In his first full season as a starter, 1963, Ryan threw for 2,026 yards and 25 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions, helping the Browns to a 10-4 record. Thirteen of those touchdowns went to Gary Collins, who tied for the league lead in receiving TDs that year.

In 1964, Ryan established himself as one of the league’s better passers. He threw for 2,404 yards and repeated his 1963 performance by completing 25 touchdown passes, which was enough to lead the league. Ryan had excellent company on the Browns offense: fullback Jim Brown; wide receivers Collins and Paul Warfield; and an outstanding offensive line. But Ryan was also a clutch performer during the Browns’ memorable 10-3-1 season. Needing a win in the December 12 regular season finale against the New York Giants to clich a berth in the NFL title game, Ryan completed 12 of 13 passes for five touchdowns and ran for a sixth touchdown in the 52-20 win. Two weeks later in the championship game against the Baltimore Colts, Ryan hit Collins for three touchdowns to win the title, 27-0 (the last Browns championship to date).

Ryan was rewarded for his performance with the first of three straight Pro Bowl appearances. Unfortunately, on the first play of the second half, he suffered a severe shoulder injury in the game after the combined 800-pound trio of Packer Willie Davis, Lion Roger Brown and Colt Gino Marchetti converged on the signal caller. Speculation persists to this day that Marchetti went out of his way to injure Ryan due to the perception that the quarterback ran up the score in the championship, with Marchetti's statement that he wanted "one more shot" at Ryan also fueling the rumors. However, a study of the film by Cleveland coaches in the weeks after the game exonerated Marchetti.

Ryan’s numbers dropped in 1965, throwing for only 1,751 yards and 18 touchdowns. While his shoulder had completely healed, a sore elbow in training camp and an injured arch early in the regular season played a role in his completing fewer than half of his passes during the campaign. Those struggles resulted in a continuing cool relationship with Browns' fans, who booed him often during home contests. Part of Ryan's decline can also be traced to the absence of second-year wide receiver Paul Warfield, who missed much of the season after suffering a double fracture of the collarbone in the team's first exhibition game.

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Athletes - Frank Ryan

Football career

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