Mark Robert Rypien was born on October 2,1962 and is a Canadian former professional football player who was a quarterback for 14 seasons in the National Football League.
33 Facts About Mark Rypien
2.
Mark Rypien played college football at Washington State and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft.
3.
Mark Rypien was the first Canadian-born quarterback to both start in the NFL and be named Super Bowl MVP, doing so in Super Bowl XXVI with the Redskins.
4.
Mark Rypien was a star three-sport athlete at Shadle Park High School.
5.
Mark Rypien accepted a football scholarship to Washington State University in Pullman, and joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
6.
Mark Rypien spent his first two years as a professional on the Redskins' injured reserved list, first with a bad knee in 1986, then a bad back in 1987.
7.
Mark Rypien watched from the sidelines as the Redskins won Super Bowl XXII under coach Joe Gibbs in January 1988 behind the quarterbacking of veteran Doug Williams.
8.
Mark Rypien became the second stringer after Jay Schroeder, who lost his job to Williams late in the 1987 season, was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders.
9.
Mark Rypien was best known for his phenomenal accuracy as a deep passer.
10.
Mark Rypien, a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, became the first foreign-born player to earn the honor.
11.
Mark Rypien was named to the Pro Bowl in both 1989 and 1991.
12.
Mark Rypien was one of several players to benefit from the team's success following their championship season.
13.
Under new head coach Richie Petitbon, Mark 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.
14.
When he was healthy enough to return, Mark Rypien performed spot duty, sharing time with the newly acquired Rich Gannon.
15.
Mark Rypien participated in offseason workouts, but the team later released him.
16.
On May, 11,1994, Mark Rypien signed with the Cleveland Browns to backup Vinny Testaverde.
17.
Mark Rypien played in six games for the Browns that year, starting three of them.
18.
On May 6,1995, Mark Rypien signed with the St Louis Rams, this time to backup Chris Miller.
19.
On October 3,1996, Mark Rypien signed with the Philadelphia Eagles due to an injury to starter Rodney Peete.
20.
Mark Rypien played in five games and did not score any touchdowns.
21.
Mark Rypien signed with the Atlanta Falcons for the 1998 season but never played in Atlanta.
22.
Mark Rypien would appear in four games for the Colts.
23.
Mark Rypien made his first appearance in week three against the New England Patriots in relief of Peyton Manning.
24.
Mark Rypien played in two preseason games and finished thirteen of 21 passing for 97 yards, but was ultimately cut on September 3,2002.
25.
In 11 NFL seasons, Mark Rypien completed 1,466 of 2,613 passes for 18,473 yards and 115 touchdowns, with 88 interceptions.
26.
Mark Rypien rushed 127 times for 166 yards and 8 touchdowns.
27.
Mark Rypien had a brief stint in NASCAR racing as a team owner, and was the original owner of the 2004 Nextel Cup championship-winning No 97 team driven by Kurt Busch, having sold it to Jack Roush's Roush Racing in 1997.
28.
On June 8,2006, Mark Rypien was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
29.
An avid golfer, Mark Rypien has been known to participate in charity tournaments at various locations across the nation.
30.
Mark Rypien has played in one PGA Tour event, and one Web.
31.
Mark Rypien has been a regular competitor at the American Century Championship, the annual competition at Lake Tahoe to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities.
32.
Mark Rypien won the inaugural event in 1990, and won his second crown 24 years later in 2014; he has a total of 11 top ten finishes.
33.
Mark Rypien himself confirmed that he has struggled with mental health issues since his retirement from football, even attempting to take his own life by overdosing on pills before his wife stopped him.