Brian Sipe : biography
Brian Winfield Sipe (born August 8, 1949) is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985.
Sipe was a college football star at San Diego State University, where he studied architecture. He also competed in the 1961 Little League World Series for El Cajon, California and prepped at Grossmont High School.
Although mostly sidelined for the first several years of his NFL career, Sipe was eventually recognized as one of the better quarterbacks in the Browns’ history, winning the league’s MVP Award in 1980. He is now the quarterback coach for the San Diego State Aztecs football program.
Career stats
Year | Team | GP | Att | Com | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | Cleveland Browns | 10 | 108 | 59 | 54.6 | 603 | 1 | 7 | 47.0 |
1975 | Cleveland Browns | 7 | 88 | 45 | 51.1 | 427 | 1 | 3 | 54.4 |
1976 | Cleveland Browns | 14 | 312 | 178 | 57.1 | 2113 | 17 | 14 | 77.3 |
1977 | Cleveland Browns | 9 | 195 | 112 | 57.4 | 1233 | 9 | 14 | 61.8 |
1978 | Cleveland Browns | 16 | 399 | 222 | 55.6 | 2906 | 21 | 15 | 80.7 |
1979 | Cleveland Browns | 16 | 535 | 286 | 53.5 | 3793 | 28 | 26 | 73.4 |
1980 | Cleveland Browns | 16 | 554 | 337 | 60.8 | 4132 | 30 | 14 | 91.4 |
1981 | Cleveland Browns | 16 | 567 | 313 | 55.2 | 3876 | 17 | 25 | 68.2 |
1982 | Cleveland Browns | 6 | 185 | 101 | 54.6 | 1064 | 4 | 8 | 60.7 |
1983 | Cleveland Browns | 15 | 496 | 291 | 58.7 | 3566 | 26 | 23 | 79.1 |
NFL Career Totals | 125 | 3439 | 1944 | 56.5 | 23713 | 154 | 149 | 74.8 | |
1984 | New Jersey Generals | 16 | 324 | 192 | 59.3 | 2540 | 17 | 15 | 82.3 |
1985 | Jacksonville Bulls | – | 89 | 55 | 61.8 | 685 | 4 | 2 | 91.5 |
USFL Career Totals | – | 413 | 247 | 56.5 | 3225 | 21 | 17 | 84.3 |
Key to Abbreviations GP= Games Played Att= Passes attempted Com= Passes Completed Pct= Completion percentage Yds= Yards TD= Touchdowns Int= Interceptions Rate= Passer rating
Post playing career
Sipe now resides in San Diego, California, and coached high school football at Santa Fe Christian School in Solana Beach, California, where he helped the Eagles to four CIF titles and a combined record of 75-21-1. Sipe was hired on January 18, 2009 as quarterback coach for his Alma Mater, San Diego State. In 2010, the Aztecs beat United States Naval Academy in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Playing career
National Football League
Drafted in the 13th round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, Sipe spent the first two years of his career as a member of the team’s reserve squad, seeing no action on the field.
In 1974, Sipe started four games after helping the Browns come back from a 12-point deficit against the Denver Broncos on October 27. However, after winning just one of the four contests (a 21-14 victory against the New England Patriots on November 11), he was replaced by Mike Phipps.