Ryan played in the NFL for 13 seasons and later worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Frank Ryan wasn’t your average NFL quarterback. His arm helped make the Cleveland Browns champions. His intellect earned him wider acclaim off the field. Ryan, who led the the Browns to their last NFL title in 1964 while spending his offseasons getting a doctorate diploma in mathematics, died on Monday. He was 87. The team said Ryan died while being cared for at a nursing home in Connecticut. There was no immediate cause of death given, but Ryan’s son, Frank Ryan Jr., told Cleveland.com that his father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Ryan threw three touchdown passes to wide receiver Gary Collins as the Browns defeated Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas and the widely favored Baltimore Colts 27-0 on December 27, 1964. Cleveland has not won a football championship since, and it is one of only four teams to have never appeared in the Super Bowl.
However, with Ryan and Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, the Browns were a consistent powerhouse in the early to mid-1960s.
Ryan received his Ph.D. from Rice, where he played college ball in his home state of Texas, only months after winning the ’64 Championship — the last for any of the city’s three major professional teams in 52 years until the Cavaliers won the NBA championship in 2016.
He went on to teach math at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and then at Yale and Rice. Ryan is also recognized for developing an electronic voting system that updated the United States House of Representatives.
Ryan, a three-time Pro Bowler with the Browns, played seven seasons in Cleveland, compiling a 52-22-2 record as a starter. He topped the league in passing touchdowns in both 1964 and 1966.
Although Cleveland won many games on the ground because to the great Brown and subsequently Kelly, Ryan was one of the league’s best quarterbacks, completing at least 25 touchdown passes over three seasons. He also played for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins before retiring at the end of the 1970 season.
Ryan also served for ten years as athletic.
Director at Yale.
During his 13-year playing career, Ryan tossed for 16,042 yards and 149 touchdowns while going 57-27-3 in starts.
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