Cleveland Browns top 10 quarterbacks in franchise history
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns top QB all-time No. 5: Frank Ryan, 1962-1968
53. Scouting Report. 1962-1968. FrankRyan. 5. Pick Analysis. QB. player
Milt Plum had plenty of success with the Cleveland Browns but was traded to the Detroit Lions ahead of the 1962 campaign. The plan was to go with Jim Ninowski as the new starter but he suffered a broken collarbone and in came Frank Ryan, a reserve they added in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams that same offseason.
A former fifth-round pick from Rice, Ryan had just 11 starts in four seasons with Los Angeles when Cleveland added him but he would go on to start 76 games with his new team during his seven-year tenure with them.
In his first season with the Browns, Ryan led them to a 3-3-1 record which was enough for him to be the primary starter in 1963. That year, he led them to their first of three-consecutive 10-win seasons, followed by two years with nine wins.
Overall, the Browns were 52-22-2 with Ryan starting under center and he had an impressive 134 touchdowns against 88 picks while throwing for 13,361 yards. That number had him second overall in passing yards for the Browns and he’s still fifth after a few other players surpassed him.
One interesting fact is that Ryan earned his Ph.D. from Rice and attended graduate school during his time with the Rams. Cleveland has had a lot of successful quarterbacks during their history but Ryan is still the only one who could go by ‘doctor’.