Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Frank Ryan has died at the age of 87. Ryan's family announced his death on New Year's Day after he battled Alzheimer's Disease. Ryan's place is cemented in the Browns' franchise history as the last quarterback to lead Cleveland to a championship.
Ryan was instrumental as the Cleveland Browns secured an outright 27-0 win over Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL championship game.
Fans flocked to social media to share their condolences and memories of the former NFL quarterback. There were also tributes to the life Frank Ryan led off the field, which included a career as a mathematics professor and then in politics.
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Below are some of the comments left by NFL fans on Reddit about the passing of Frank Ryan:
How long did Frank Ryan play in the NFL?
Quarterback Frank Ryan played college football at Rice University and was then drafted in the fifth round of the 1958 NFL draft by the LA Rams. In 1962, he was then traded to the Cleveland Browns after requesting the franchise trade him.
He played with the Cleveland Browns from 1962-1968 and had a career record of 52-22 as a starter for the team. In 1964, he led the Browns to an unlikely win in the NFL championship game and was the NFL passing leader.
Ryan threw 134 touchdowns and 88 interceptions in his career with the Browns and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. After his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, he went on to play one season with the Washington Redskins.
While playing in the NFL, he continued pursuing his education and received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Rice University in 1965. After 13 seasons in the National Football League, Ryan retired in 1970. He then decided to pursue a brief career in politics.
He served in the House of Representatives for seven years as the Director of Development and helped design the first computer voting system in the country.
The former NFL quarterback also went on to teach mathematics at Rice University and Yale University. He spent ten years as the athletic director at Yale University.
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