Brian Sipe Biography

Brian Winfield Sipe, born on August 8, 1949, was an American professional football quarterback who played for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983. After his NFL tenure, Sipe competed in the United States Football League for two seasons. Despite limited playing time during the early years of his NFL career, he was later acknowledged as one of the top quarterbacks in Browns history, earning the league's Most Valuable Player Award in 1980. Selected in the thirteenth round of the 1972 NFL draft, Sipe spent his first two seasons on the Browns' reserve squad without appearing in a game. The Browns' poor 1975 season led to Sipe assuming the starting role following three consecutive losses in which they were outscored 124–26. In the first half of the 1977 season, Sipe guided the team to five victories in their initial seven games. He played a key role in multiple dramatic comebacks during the 1979 and 1980 seasons, contributing to the team's nickname 'Kardiac Kids' due to their frequent last-minute wins.