A GENIUS PLUS A GENIUS EQUALS EXTRAORDINARY 

There was nothing special, let alone extraordinary, about quarterback Frank Ryan.

He had played at Rice, not exactly a tradition-rich college.

He had been taken in the fifth round — not exactly the top — of the 1958 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.

He had thrown for 15 touchdowns, with 23 interceptions — not exactly Pro Football Hall of Fame numbers —  in his first four seasons with them.

He was traded after the 1961 season to the Browns, whose head coach, Paul Brown, had been searching for his next great passer after the retirement of Otto Graham six years before. But in sharing the starting job with Jim Ninowski in 1962 and passing for 10 TDs with seven picks, he did not exactly make a strong case for himself to get the nod completely.

He was a mathematical genius — he tested out as such and had a PhD — but Dr. Ryan likely wondered if the numbers were ever going to add up for him not just in Cleveland, but anywhere in pro football.

Brown, however, was fired and replaced with his longtime offensive assistant, Blanton Collier. He would prove to be a football genius, and one of the biggest steps in that process came when he almost immediately got rid of the two-quarterback system and named Ryan the full-time starter.

What happened next is why Ryan deserves to be in Part 3 of the Roy Hobbs Series of Browns players who came out of nowhere to be special.

From the next season, 1963, through 1967, before injuries took their toll, Ryan was the most productive quarterback in pro football, throwing 117 touchdowns with 75 touchdowns as the Browns went 49-20-1 in those five years, made the playoffs three times, and got to the NFL Championship Game twice, winning a title in 1964 when he tossed three scoring passes to wide receiver Gary Collins in a stunning 27-0 whitewash of the Baltimore Colts.

Now, that’s extraordinary!!

NEXT: JUST FOR KICKS

Steve King