Mike Phipps

Michael Elston Phipps (born January 19, 1947) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football league (NFL) for twelve seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Phipps played college football for Purdue University, and was recognized as an All-American. He was the third overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears of the NFL.

Early years
Phipps was born in Shelbyville, Indiana. He attended Columbus High School in Columbus, Indiana, and played for the Columbus Bulldogs high school football team.

College career
Phipps attended Purdue University, where he played for the Purdue Boilermakers football team. He began his college career in the difficult role of replacing All-American Boilermakers quarterback Bob Griese. The rifle-armed thrower first made his mark by helping lead a 28-21 upset of the defending national champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 30, 1967. Combining strong passing skills with excellent mobility helped Phipps establish a new school single-season record for total offense and earn the Boilermakers a share of the Big Ten Conference title.

The following year, Phipps suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of two games, and was overshadowed by teammate Leroy Keyes, a running back who spent all season in contention for the Heisman Trophy. The Boilermakers were the top-ranked team in the country until the Ohio State Buckeyes upset them 13-0 on October 12.

In 1969, Phipps became the focal point of Purdue's offense, throwing for five touchdowns in a 36-35 thriller over Stanford University on October 4, including throwing for a two-point conversion with three minutes left. His exploits put him in contention for the Heisman Trophy, but he finished second in the voting to Oklahoma Sooners running back Steve Owens.

Professional career
As with his career at Purdue, Phipps' professional career began in a pressurized situation when the Browns traded all-pro wide receiver Paul Warfield on January 27, 1970, in order to obtain his draft rights. Despite being the third pick in the draft, Phipps saw limited action during his first two seasons. In the team's third game of the 1970 NFL season, Phipps came off the bench to lead a 15-7 comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, his lone start of the year would be a 14-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on November 15, 1970 as the rookie finished with 529 passing yards on the season. The following year, Phipps threw for only 179 yards and started just one contest: a 13-7 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on November 14.

In 1972, Phipps again began the season on the sidelines, but became the team's starting quarterback after a disappointing 26-10 opening game loss to the Green Bay Packers on September 17. He threw for 13 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards, helping the Browns reach the NFL playoffs, with his improved leadership most evident in the November 13 game against the San Diego Chargers, when he led a last-minute drive to win the 21-17 contest. In the team's playoff clash against the undefeated Miami Dolphins on December 24, Phipps had led the team to a 14-13 fourth quarter lead, but his five interceptions helped end hopes of a possible upset.

The following year, he threw for nine touchdowns, but was intercepted 20 times. Despite these struggles, he engineered two late-season comebacks in a win over the Steelers and a tie against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the Browns missed the playoffs with a 7-5-2 record. In 1974, the team collapsed with a 4-10 record, and Phipps was briefly replaced by Brian Sipe at mid-season.

The 1975 season was even more disastrous as the Browns dropped their first nine games and Phipps working under the tutelage of quarterback coach Blanton Collier. The team's first victory came in a 35-23 of the Cincinnati Bengals on November 23 as Phipps threw for a personal high of 298 yards. Two other victories helped give hope for a turnaround the following season.

In the team's 1976 opener against the New York Jets, Phipps started the game, but suffered a separated shoulder after being tackled by the Jets' Shafer Suggs. By the time he had recovered from the injury, Sipe had established himself as the team's new leader and Phipps' time in Cleveland was soon to come to an end.

That finish came on May 3, 1977, when Phipps was traded to the Bears for a first round draft pick in 1978. He saw minimal action during the 1977 NFL season, threw for two touchdowns (along with 10 interceptions) the next year, but saw his most extensive action in 1979. During that year, he threw for 1,535 yards and nine touchdowns, as he battled teammates Bob Avellini and Vince Evans for playing time.

Phipps threw for a pair of touchdown in each of the next two seasons, but his limited role and the arrival of both quarterback Jim McMahon in the 1982 NFL draft and new coach Mike Ditka resulted in his release.

Phipps was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Personal
Mike Phipps currently resides in Lighthouse Point, Florida. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Carole, and they have five children.