Frank Ryan, the quarterback’s coach during the previous NFL title, passed away at the age of 87.
Cleveland — At the age of 87, Frank Ryan, one of the best quarterbacks in Browns history, passed away. He assisted in leading the team to their most recent NFL title.
Ryan reportedly passed away at a Connecticut care facility on Monday, according to the Associated Press. The cause of death was not officially stated.
Ryan’s feats not only made him a hero on the football field but also in the academic realm, where he was a renowned mathematician who even tried to apply his understanding of statistics to the game he loved. Ryan was a three-time Pro Bowler and twice led the league in touchdown passes. He spent the majority of his 13-year playing career in Cleveland, and both of those careers would have a profound effect on the city.
Ryan attended Rice University, where he played sports but had a modest athletic career at best, staying close to home after being born and reared in Fort Worth, Texas. Despite this, he was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round of the 1958 NFL Draft. Having previously made the decision to pursue further education, he chose to multitask by joining the team and pursuing his studies at the same time.
In his four seasons in Los Angeles, Ryan only managed 11 starts. However, his breakthrough came in 1962, when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns for All-Pro quarterback Milt Plum. After Jim Ninowski was fired, he was originally Paul Brown’s backup, but he started the final seven games and showed enough potential to be retained by new head coach Blanton Collier the following year. Ryan would prosper as a result of the passing offence taking off under Collier’s direction.
The great season of 1964 was made possible by a breakout 1963 season. Ryan passed for 2,404 yards and a league-high 25 touchdowns while leading Cleveland to an Eastern Division title with a 10-3-1 record. All of this would come to a head on December 27 in the NFL Championship Game against the strongly fancied Baltimore Colts, and everyone who was present will never forget what happened that day at the former Municipal Stadium.
Ryan and Gary Collins stole the show on a squad that included Hall of Fame players like Jim Brown and Paul Warfield, connecting for three touchdown passes as the Browns defeated the Colts 27-0. Ryan became the only quarterback from Cleveland who wasn’t Otto Graham by throwing for an astounding 206 yards and 117.1 passer rating as a starter, even though Collins was voted the game’s MVP. No one else in franchise history has joined those two, even after nearly 60 years.
