Brian Sipe
- David Hegler
- 11 minutes ago
- 9 min read
One of the most incremental aspects of quarterbacking in thee NFL is the presence of mind to lead your team when the going gets tough. In 1980, the Cleveland Browns' Brian Sipe did so well in crunch time that he earned the league MVP. But his story is so much more than that one magical season. This is his story.
The Early Years
Brian Winfield Sipe was born on August 8, 1949 in San Diego, California. Growing up as the only boy in a house full of three sisters, young Brian took refuge in the El Cajon Little League, dreaming of the day that he could play in the Little League world Series. Sure enough, he lived that very dream.
As the only 11-year old on a team full of 12 year olds, Brian Sipe reached base on an error in his only at bat all tournament. Still, it was a magical time for the little town of El Cajon. with a population of just 37,618, the town came alive as their future tore through Levittown, Pennsylvania and Hilo, Hawaii before beating El Campo, Texas 4-2 in the final to win the 1961 Little League World Series.
While Sipe was used sparingly that tournament as a backup pitcher and outfielder, he realized that he was much too nervous at the plate, even making the sign of the cross after every pitch. He knew that if he was ever to reach his full potential as an athlete, that he would have to cut those nerves out of his life. He was never that nervous again.
As a student at Grossmont High School, Brian Sipe's name was all over the sports pages. In addition to baseball, he also played basketball and football, Eventually, football took over his life and after earning CIF Player of the Year honors as a senior, he received just a single offer from nearby San Diego State University where their coach Don Coryell was putting together one of the finest passing attacks in the nation. Knowing that he needed a year of seasoning, Brian Sipe spent a year at Grossmont Junior College before joining the Aztecs.
The Aztecs
After redshirting a year, Sipe backed up Dennis Shaw in 1969, watching from the sidelines as he led the nation in passing yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt and rating while coughing up a ghastly 26 interceptions. Brian Sipe saw minimal action that year as the Aztecs went undefeated. Following their 28-7 triumph over Boston University in the Pasadena Bowl, the job was Sipe's.
As a redshirt junior in 1970, Sipe led the conference in completion percentage (57.9%), yards (2,618) and a 133.8 passer rating. As a senior, he again led the conference in completion percentage (53.1%), passing yards (2,532), yards per attempt (6.9) and a 114.6 quarterback rating. After his eligibility ran out, Sipe was taken 330th overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 1972 NFL Draft.
Cleveland
Like many aspiring NFL quarterbacks in those days, Brian Sipe had to endure a long gestation period before he could fully take over the starting role. For three years he waited his turn. He didn't take a snap in his rookie year, watching from the sidelines as starter Mike Phipps led the Browns to the playoffs where they lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the Divisional round. In 1973 and 1974, the Browns went a combined 7-21 as Phipps and coach Nick Skorich failed to find that same magic that guided them to the 1972 postseason.
By 1976, the job was Brian Sipe's. while he performed admirably in his first two years, Sipe still struggled, going 12-9 while completing more than 57% of his passes for 26 touchdowns against 28 interceptions. While his passer rating never finished above 77 in either of his first two years as the starter, Brian Sipe did show some promise in scattered games.
In 1978, Sam Rutigliano replaced Forrest Gregg and Dick Modzelewski as the Browns head coach and he immediately began building a competitive culture that would redefine a "never-say-die" attitude. To the outside world, the Browns 8-8 record in 1978 and 9-7 record in 1979 didn't look very competitive, but the wheels were turning behind closed doors and slowly but surely a fire was being kindled within the hearts of those who stayed.
Early in the 1979 campaign, Brian Sipe began an ascent that would result in winning the 1980 NFL MVP. In a late-season game against New York, the Jets snagged a 22-19 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Browns were sullen, having watched their six-point lead evaporate. But Brian Sipe was never one to go down easy. He heaved a 45-yard bomb to Dave Logan who then had the presence of mind to step out of bounds with seconds left on the clock. After Sipe endured a late hit by Joe Klecko to put the Browns 15-yards closer, they nailed the tying field goal to send the game into overtime.
It was a stalemate for much of the extra period but with 30 seconds left, Sipe again found Logan to setup the game-winning field goal. Little did anyone know that the Cardiac Kids had just been born.
From then on, the Browns were a force to be reckoned with. They drubbed the defending NFC champion Dallas Cowboys (26-7) and squeaked by the resilient Philadelphia Eagles (24-19), Miami Dolphins (30-24) and Houston Oilers (14-7) before falling to the Raiders (19-14) and Bengals (16-12) to close out the 1979 campaign. The Browns went 7-5 in one possession games that year and finished the season 9-7. It was their first winning record in six years.
Having finished third in the league MVP race and being named second-team All-Pro in 1979, Brian Sipe knew that he could improve on his 3,793 yards passing and 28 touchdowns while cutting back on his league leading 26 interceptions which almost certainly played a major role in the Browns not making the playoffs that year. Indeed, his stats did improve that year as Sipe threw for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns against 14 interceptions all while completing a career-best 60.8% of his passes.
But, statistics only tell one side of the story, Once again, the Cardiac Kids struck gold again and again in 1980 as their resilient quarterback led them on four game winning drives.
On October 19, 1980, the Browns found themselves staring at a 21-13 deficit to the Green Bay Packers after Lynn Dickey launched a 26-yard touchdown to James Lofton. With the clock reading 7:30, Brian Sipe knew that he had all the time in the world. He cooly launched a 50-yard bomb to Calvin Hill and zipped a 19-yard touchdown to tight end Ozzie Newsome to finish the four-play 69 yard drive. There was still 7:10 left in the game.
Dickey drove the Packers down to the Browns' 38-yard line where the Pack was halted with two minutes left in the game. The Browns began their final drive o the game on their own 13-yard line. In short order, Brian Sipe zipped a 15-yard pass to Hill, scrambled for nine, gave the ball to running back Mike Pruitt who rumbled for 11 yards, zipped a four-yarder to Hill and scrambled for 12 yards before it was called back for holding.
Two incompletions later, the Browns were staring at 3rd-and-20 on the Packers' 46-yard line with just 16 seconds left. Once again, their fearless leader came to the rescue as Brian Sipe flung a rainbow to Dave Logan who caught it for the game-winning touchdown. The Browns won 26-21.
Brian Sipe's second last-second drive of the year came in late October against the aging Pittsburgh Steelers. Fresh off of winning their fourth Super Bowl, the Steelers still featured many of the era's greatest players. However, they were starting to succumb to exhaustion after years of deep playoff runs. The Browns smelled blood and exuberantly pounced on the opportunity to take down their longtime nemesis.
Despite their enthusiasm, the Browns found themselves in a 26-14 hole entering the fourth quarter. Undaunted, Cleveland drove 73 yards down the field behind a run-heavy attack that culminated with Sipe finding Pruitt in the end zone from seven yards out.
After forcing a punt, the Browns promptly took six plays to drive 60 yards down the field. Sipe ended the drive by finding Ozzie Newsome for an 18-yard touchdown to give Cleveland a 27-26 lead with 5:28 left in the game. The Browns ultimately held on to win the game.
A month and a half later, the Browns found themselves on the short end of a 14-10 fourth quarter deficit against the New York Jets. Starting at his own 32-yard line, Brian Sipe wasted no time driving his team down the field by finding Reggie Rucker on a 45-yard bomb to kickstart the drive. From there, Sipe relied on Pruitt and Newsome to carry the Browns to victory, ending the drive by zipping a five-yard strike to Pruitt with 9:27 left in the game. The Browns held on to win 17-14.
Two weeks later, the Browns and Bengals waged a war of attrition, finding themselves all tied up at 24 apiece in the fourth quarter. Having endured six sacks, Sipe was ready to put this game to bed once and for all. Starting at their own 46-yard line with 6:04 left in the ballgame, Brian Sipe zipped two passes for 14 yards before allowing Miller and Pruitt to do the rest of the work on the ground, chewing up valuable time. After Don Cockcroft nailed a 22-yard field goal with 1:29 left, Brian Sipe could only watch and pray as his defense scrapped against the steady passing proficiency of Ken Anderson. Luckily for the Browns, time expired as the Bengals reached Cleveland's 34-yard line.
The Browns entered the 1980 playoffs red hot and welcomed the Oakland Raiders to Municipal Stadium for the Divisional Round. At 4° F with a windchill of -37° F, it was the coldest game since the Ice Bowl in 1967. Players struggled to gain traction on the frozen ground all game long. Browns kicker Don Cockroft missed several crucial kicks, causing an uneasiness among his teammates. With time running out on a 14-12 game, the Browns knew that they had one last shot to salvage a victory.
With 2:22 left in the game, Brian Sipe cooly led his team from their own 15-yard line all the way down to the Raiders 13. Facing second-and-nine, Sipe called Red Right 88, a play designed for his favorite target, Ozzie Newsome. Sipe dropped back, scrambled to the left and lofted a pass toward the back of the end zone where Raiders defensive back Mike Davis picked him off, stunning the Cleveland crowd into a funereal silence. He would never be so close to the Super Bowl again.
At the conclusion of the NFL season, it was announced that Brian Sipe had won the league MVP. While his completion percentage of 60.8%, 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns were impressive, the writers were most impressed with his stature in the face of adversity, his steely demeanor when the going got tough and his resolve to nevere go down easy. In other words, his four game-winning drives earned him the MVP trophy as much as his overall stats. After receiving the award, Brian Sipe could only dream about the glory that awaited him and his teammates in the years to come.
Later Career and Life
It turned out that the 1980 season was the highpoint of Brian Sipe's career. In 1981, he failed to produce the magic that led his team to so many nail-biting victories, coughing up a league worst 25 interceptions against just 17 touchdowns as the Browns stumbled to a 5-11 finish. He started just six times in the strike-shortened 1982 campaign, going 2-4 while giving up twice as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns. He played much better in 1983, throwing for 3,566 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading Cleveland to an 8-6 record, but he was wooed away by the riches of the USFL and signed with the New Jersey Generals in the spring of 1984.
He played well under coach Walt Michaels, leading the Generals to a 14-4 record (good for second in the Eastern Atlantic) while completing 192 of his 325 passes for 2,540 yards and 17 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Alas, their blissful season came to a halt in the semifinals at Philadelphia's Franklin Field as they succumbed to a very talented Stars team 28-7.
Brian Sipe signed with the Jacksonville Bulls in 1985 and spent much of his time competing for snaps with fellow quarterback Ed Luther. Sipe played well in his six starts, winning four times and losing twice while completing 55 of his 89 passes for 685 yards and a 91.3 passer rating. After the Bulls finished the season in sixth place with a 9-9 record, Brian Sipe retired as a player. After leaving the NFL, Sipe has continued to hover around the game, coaching at Santa Fe Christian School in Solano Beach, California and tutoring quarterbacks at his alma mater, San Diego State. He still resides in the San Diego area to this day.
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