When No. 17 Turns 75: A Cleveland Shockwave
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote a story the other day about former Browns star quarterback — and the triggerman of the Kardiac Kids — Brian Sipe.
The Hall of Famer did her usual great job, focusing on Sipe’s remembrances of his time with the team from 1972-83 and his thoughts about the quarterback derby going on with the current Browns and how it compares to his upbringing in the organization.
But the biggest — and most eye-catching — part of the story was simply a number, and something I had already planned on writing about this week. That is, Brian Sipe is 75 years old. That’s right, 75, as in one more than 74 and one less than 76.
Think about that for a moment. It is almost incomprehensible — it doesn’t seem possible — that No. 17 is three-quarters of a way to 100.
For those who watched him play all those many years ago, it has to make them — us — feel old — er, older.
The cool, handsome guy with the long, dark hair that had a messy but alluring look to it, thus making every woman in Northeast Ohio swoon, is 75.
The guy who, after throwing a 46-yard touchdown pass to his pal, wide receiver Dave Logan, with seconds left to pull the Browns out of the fire and avoid an upset with a 26-21 home win over the Green Bay Packers that turned their 1980 season around, looked right into a camera on the sideline, smiled and winked, as if to say, “I had it all the way,” is 75.
The guy without whom that great season and the Kardiac Kids joyride never would have happened, is 75.
The guy who is the last Brown to win the NFL MVP award after breaking every team single-season passing record, is 75.
The guy who is synonymous with the most exciting and unbelievable season in Browns history, is 75.
The guy whose shelf-life in Cleveland is endless, just like that of all the other Kardiac Kids, is 75.
Whoa!!!
That’s the most surprising bit of news — and probably the most sobering bit of news as well — we will hear today, if not also all week, all month and all year.
Steve King
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