Mark Rypien

Mark Robert Rypien (born October 2, 1962, Calgary, Alberta) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL.

Biography
After attending Shadle Park high school in Spokane, Washington, Rypien played college football at Washington State University. He is a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. He then left college early and was selected in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He spent the next two years on the Washington Redskins injured reserved list. He watched from the sidelines as the Redskins won Super Bowl XXII under coach Joe Gibbs in January 1988. With Doug Williams aging and the trading of Jay Schroeder to the Los Angeles Raiders, Rypien emerged.

In his first full year as a starter, he threw for 3,768 yards with 22 touchdowns. He gained his first Pro Bowl berth, albeit as an injury replacement. He was best known for his accuracy as a deep passer, developing an incredible sense of timing with receivers downfield.

Sports reporters in Washington would quip that he couldn't complete a pass to a backup quarterback during a warmup toss, but come game time, he could hit Art Monk or Gary Clark in perfect stride from fifty yards away. According to former head coach Joe Gibbs, "Rypien's sideline throws would wobble and didn't look all that pretty. But that man could seriously throw the deep stuff." A 1992 Sport Magazine article touted him as one of the best deep passers ever.

1991 was Rypien's best season; he threw for 3,564 yards and 28 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, leading the Redskins to Super Bowl XXVI after recording a 14-2 regular season record. He was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the game, passing for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and leading his team to a 37-24 win over the Buffalo Bills. Rypien, a native of Calgary, Alberta, became the first foreign born player to earn the honor. Rypien was named to the Pro Bowl in both 1989 and 1991.

Rypien was one of several players to benefit from the team's success following their championship season. The Redskins signed him to a 3-year, $9 million deal entering the 1992 season. However, the team battled age and injuries and finished the regular season with a 9–7 record, barely making the playoffs. His passing yardage was a respectable 3,282 yards, but his passer rating fell from 97.9 in 1991 to 71.7 in 1992 and his interceptions outnumbered his touchdowns 17 to 13. Although a dominant team performance in the playoffs brought victory over the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC Wild Card away game, the Redskins eventually lost on a rainy, muddy field in a bruising game vs. the San Francisco 49ers, and the Rypien era was essentially over. Under new Head Coach Richie Petitbon, Rypien had his best training camp in 1993 and expectations were high following a Monday Night win over the defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys. However, Rypien injured his knee in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals and the team began a precipitous slide toward a 4–12 season finish.

When he was healthy enough to return, Rypien performed spot duty, sharing time with the newly acquired Rich Gannon. The Redskins hired Norv Turner as their head coach in 1994. Rypien participated in off season workouts, but the team released him from his contract. He went on to become a backup, serving with the Cleveland Browns in 1994, the St. Louis Rams in 1995 and 1997, the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996, and the Indianapolis Colts in 2001. His last touchdown pass came in relief of Eagles quarterback Ty Detmer. It was an 8-yarder to Irving Fryar with five seconds remaining in a 37-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. His last professional game was June 10, 2006; as part of a promotional gig, Rypien played one game for the Rochester Raiders of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.

NASCAR
Rypien had a brief stint in NASCAR racing as a team owner, and was the original owner of the 2004 Sprint Cup championship-winning #97 team, having sold it to Jack Roush in 2008.

Passing statistics
Key to Abbreviations

GP= Games Played

GS= Games Started

Att= Passes attempted

Com= Passes Completed

Pct= Completion percentage

Yds= Yards

TD= Touchdowns

Int= Interceptions

Rate= Passer rating