Dr. Frank Ryan
 A 5th-round pick by the Rams in 1958 Frank Ryan almost declined to play professional ball due to his desire to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics. He agreed to play only after he was able to continue his studies at UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley during the season.Â
 His time in Los Angeles was hardly successful as he spent time mostly as a back-up to Billy Wade and then Zeke Bratkowski. He started a total of 11 games, winning 5. Though, the Rams organization wasn’t very successful either at that time.
 At the end of 1961 season he threatened to quit if he wasn’t traded. After picking up Roman Gabriel in the 1962 draft, the Rams sent him in a multi-player deal to the Cleveland Browns.
 The Head coach of the Browns at that time was Blanton Collier, who reportedly thought Frank Ryan could become one of the NFL’s great quarterbacks. “All he lacks is maturity” Collier is quoted as saying. Ryan got his chance when starter Jim Ninowski went down with a broken collarbone in week 7 against the Steelers. He actually ended up 4th best in the league Rating Wise.
 Frank Ryan would remain the Browns quarterback for the next 5 seasons leading the NFL in Touchdown Passes twice and going to 3 Pro Bowls. He would lead Cleveland to an NFL Championship in 1964 and throw 3 touchdown passes in a 27-0 blasting of the Baltimore Colts in the Title Game.
 The last 2 years of his 13-year career were spent as a backup in Washington. He retired prior to the 1971 NFL season. His 134 Touchdown Passes as a Brown still rank #3 on the All Time franchise list, his 13,361 rank 5th and his 907 completions are 6th.
Image Gallery of Frank Ryan, Quarterback 1958-1970
Frank Ryan Football Cards
Frank Ryan All Time Career Statistics
| Year | Age | Team | Pos | # | Games | Starts | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yards | TD | Int | Long | Y/A | Rate | Sacked | Yards Lost | 4QC | GWD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 22 | RAM | QB | 15 | 5 | 0 | Â | 5 | 14 | 35.7 | 34 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 2.4 | 28.6 | Â | 24 | Â | Â |
| 1959 | 23 | RAM | QB | 15 | 10 | 3 | 0-3-0 | 42 | 89 | 47.2 | 709 | 2 | 4 | 67 | 8.0 | 63.4 | Â | 125 | Â | Â |
| 1960 | 24 | RAM | QB | 15 | 11 | 5 | 3-1-1 | 62 | 128 | 48.4 | 816 | 7 | 9 | 61 | 6.4 | 57.9 | 6 | 73 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | 25 | RAM | QB | 15 | 14 | 3 | 2-1-0 | 72 | 142 | 50.7 | 1115 | 5 | 7 | 96 | 7.9 | 68.3 | 25 | 204 | 0 | 2 |
| 1962 | 26 | CLE | QB | 13 | 11 | 7 | 3-3-1 | 112 | 194 | 57.7 | 1541 | 10 | 7 | 65 | 7.9 | 85.4 | 15 | 156 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | 27 | CLE | QB | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10-3-0 | 135 | 256 | 52.7 | 2026 | 25 | 13 | 83 | 7.9 | 90.4 | 20 | 179 | 1 | 1 |
| 1964* | 28 | CLE♚ | QB | 13 | 14 | 14 | 10-3-1 | 174 | 334 | 52.1 | 2404 | 25♦ | 19 | 62 | 7.2 | 76.7 | 27 | 207 | 1 | 0 |
| 1965* | 29 | CLE | QB | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10-2-0 | 119 | 243 | 49.0 | 1751 | 18 | 13 | 80 | 7.2 | 75.3 | 23 | 202 | 3 | 3 |
| 1966* | 30 | CLE | QB | 13 | 14 | 14 | 9-5-0 | 200 | 382 | 52.4 | 2974 | 29♦ | 14 | 54 | 7.8 | 88.2 | 28 | 223 | 1 | 1 |
| 1967 | 31 | CLE | QB | 13 | 13 | 13 | 9-4-0 | 136 | 280 | 48.6 | 2026 | 20 | 16 | 49 | 7.2 | 72.7 | 38 | 318 | 1 | 1 |
| 1968 | 32 | CLE | QB | 13 | 7 | 3 | 1-2-0 | 31 | 66 | 47.0 | 639 | 7 | 6 | 57 | 9.7 | 79.0 | 10 | 79 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969 | 33 | WAS | QB | 13 | 1 | 0 | Â | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4.0 | 83.3 | 0 | 0 | Â | Â |
| 1970 | 34 | WAS | QB | 13 | 1 | 0 | Â | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.8 | 39.6 | 4 | 35 | Â | Â |
| 7 seasons Browns | 84 | 76 | 52-22-2 | 907 | 1755 | 51.7 | 13361 | 134 | 88 | 83 | 7.6 | 81.4 | 161 | 1364 | 8 | 7 | ||||
| 4 seasons Rams | 40 | 11 | 5-5-1 | 181 | 373 | 48.5 | 2674 | 15 | 23 | 96 | 7.2 | 60.1 | 31 | 426 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| 2 seasons Redskins | 2 | 0 | Â | 2 | 5 | 40.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.4 | 47.9 | 4 | 35 | Â | Â | ||||
| 13 Year NFL Career | 126 | 87 | 57-27-3 | 1090 | 2133 | 51.1 | 16042 | 149 | 111 | 96 | 7.5 | 77.6 | 196 | 1825 | 8 | 9 | ||||
| Year | Age | Team | Games | Starts | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yards | TD | Int | Long | Y/A | AY/A | Rate | Sacked | Yards Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964* | 28 | CLE♚ | 1 | 1 | 1-0 | 11 | 18 | 61.1 | 206 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 11.4 | 12.3 | 117.1 | 1 | 9 |
| 1965* | 29 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 8 | 18 | 44.4 | 115 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 6.4 | 2.5 | 44.7 | 3 | 18 |
| 1967 | 31 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 14 | 30 | 46.7 | 194 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 76.2 | 5 | 31 |
| 1968 | 32 | CLE | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 2 | 6 | 33.3 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 43.1 | 1 | 7 |
| Post Season Totals | 5 | 3 | 1-2 | 35 | 72 | 48.6 | 534 | 6 | 4 | 75 | 7.4 | 6.6 | 78.1 | 10 | 65 | ||
- * – Pro Bowl Selection
- ♦ – Led the League
- ♚ – NFL Champion
