Pro Football History

Login / Signup

© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Sunday, May 31, 2026

The Life And Career Of Mark Rypien

Ben Donahue
By
Leave a Comment
Follow Pro Football History on Google News Follow Us

The Life And Career Of Mark Rypien
Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport

 

Sometimes all a person needs is one shot to make their dreams come true.

That was certainly the case with Mark Rypien.

After a decent college career with the Washington State University Cougars, Rypien didn’t exactly exude pro potential.

However, he was a last-minute replacement for the North team in the 1986 Senior Bowl.

Rypien’s stellar performance in the contest led to the rise of his stock in the 1986 NFL Draft.

In the sixth round of the event, Rypien was selected by the Washington Redskins.

Injuries kept him from seeing playing time his first two years, although he received a championship ring as a member of the ‘Skins Super Bowl team in 1987.

By 1991, Rypien was Washington’s starter and led the franchise to another world title that year.

Following his departure from the team in 1993, Rypien bounced around the league as a backup until officially retiring in 2002.

Since the end of his playing career, Rypien has been an avid golfer and watched his nephew, Brett Rypien, navigate his own path in the NFL.

In 2018, his fight with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was shared with the world and is a battle Rypien continues to navigate today.

This is the story of Mark Rypien.

 

Natural Athlete

Mark Robert Rypien was born on October 2, 1962, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Just before he turned five, the Rypien family moved to Spokane, Washington.

Mark and his two younger brothers, Dave and Tim, were heavily involved in sports, no matter the season.

Even in grade school, Mark Rypien showed flashes of greatness.

“When he was a sixth grader (at Westview Elementary) I took in a grade-school track meet,” Rypien’s future high school hoops coach, Dave Robertson said. “There was this kid jumping 6 inches better than anybody else.”

Coach Robertson asked Rypien if he liked basketball and was surprised when the kid responded with a ‘no.’

Instead of walking away empty-handed, Robertson extended an invitation for Rypien to attend a summer basketball camp the coach was hosting.

Sure enough, Rypien joined Robertson and the rest is history.

“We won ourselves a state championship the day I went to that track meet,” Robertson said, “because without Mark Rypien we weren’t going to win it.”

 

Three-Sport Prep Star

At Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Mark Rypien dove into the prep athletics scene with both feet.

He played three sports, baseball, basketball and football, and earned letters in each.

On the hardwood, Shadle Park consistently beat Gonzaga Prep and future NBA star John Stockton.

“The best basketball player I ever played against in high school I held to 25-30 points per game. I’m not sure what he did after high school but his name was John Stockton,” joked Rypien in 2019.

The Highlanders reached the state championship game against Mercer Island in 1981, Rypien’s senior year.

For longtime Washington residents, the game is still part of state lore.

Mercer Island appeared to have won the game at the foul line in the final seconds to pull ahead by one.

However, a Hail Mary basket as time expired by Rypien’s teammate, Gregg Schmidt, was counted (perhaps mistakenly) and Shadle Park was declared the winner.

Rypien was named the MVP of the hoops final.

Additionally, he was twice named the MVP of Shadle Park’s team and was MVP of the Highlanders baseball squad, where he played four positions while also hitting bombs.

Surprisingly, Rypien almost didn’t play football.

“The only reason I wanted to play football was to be with my buddies on the team,” said Rypien. “I was a tall, skinny kid who didn’t like contact. Thank goodness I decided to play football.”

During his final year on the gridiron, the Highlanders were dead last in defense in the Greater Spokane League.

Thankfully, the team still won a league title on the strength of Rypien, who was named the team’s MVP (for the second time), and was later selected as a Parade Magazine All-American.

All three of his playing numbers for each sport were eventually retired by Shadle Park.

 

Rypien Picks Washington State, then Almost Leaves

Being a standout in three sports tends to bring a bevy of college recruiters and Rypien was besieged with scholarship offers.

He could have gone to any number of out-of-state schools, but chose to head about 75 miles south to Pullman, Washington, the home of Washington State University.

At the time, the Cougars weren’t exactly known as a quarterback hotbed, save for the somewhat recent exploits of Jack Thompson.

“The Throwin’ Samoan” was a good signal-caller for WSU from 1975 through 1978 and was the third overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft.

(Years later, the Cougs would boast NFL QBs Timm Rosenbach, Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf).

Given the dearth of standout quarterback play at the university, Rypien was a boon for then-head coach Jim Walden, who was hoping to improve a program that had not surpassed four wins in each of his first three years.

In 1981, Rypien got a few snaps that translated to 88 passing yards and five rushing yards.

He primarily watched from the sideline as Clete Casper and Ricky Turner split time for a surprising 8-3-1 WSU squad.

Then, in the spring of 1982, Rypien was focused on becoming the team’s starter when a knee injury felled him during spring ball.

His injury was significant enough that it required surgery

“This [surgery] makes his status more questionable for the fall,” Walden said.

Sure enough, Rypien would miss the entire ‘82 season, and two starts into 1983, he went down with a collarbone injury.

Dejected, he packed his stuff in early November and drove to his parent’s home in Spokane with no promise to return.

Furthermore, Rypien told the media that he was no longer playing football and would instead focus on playing baseball.

 

Rypien Returns to Lead the Cougs

Upon learning the news that Rypien left, Walden raced north and talked to his would-be QB of the future about staying put.

Thankfully for the coach and his staff, the local media announced on November 8, 1983, that Rypien would return to WSU.

Before returning to school, there were assurances made that Rypien could play baseball with the Cougars that spring, if he wanted to, and that the football team would be more pass-happy in 1984.

The always outspoken Walden downplayed any issue regarding his quarterback’s brief absence.

“This was not a grandstand play by Mark Rypien because he hasn’t had enough publicity…crap, crap, crap, okay?” Walden said.

At long last, and after a miserable beginning to his college career, Rypien was the starter for the Cougs in 1984.

He was part of the team’s fabled “RPM” backfield that included Rypien and running backs Kerry Porter and Rueben Mayes.

The trio couldn’t prevent WSU from a 2-4 start, but a 4-1 conclusion gave the Cougs a respectable 6-5 record.

Rypien was named first-team All-Pac-10 while passing for 1,927 yards, 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and adding 275 yards and six scores on the ground.

Then, in 1985, RPM sputtered to a 4-7 record as Rypien passed for 2,174 yards, 14 touchdowns against 12 picks and 243 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

 

A Surprise Senior Bowl Performance

With his senior year now behind him, Rypien’s college career amounted to 4,573 yards, 28 touchdowns, 29 interceptions, 528 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

He also had one postseason accolade with his first-team All-Conference nod in 1984.

Respectable, but not exactly eye-catching numbers for pro scouts.

The folks from the college football all-star games didn’t call either until BYU’s Robbie Bosco and Illinois’ Jack Trudeau backed out of the Senior Bowl.

Rypien was then contacted to gauge his interest in playing.

Recognizing a golden opportunity, the former WSU signal-caller jumped at the chance.

Dan Reeves, then the head coach of the Denver Broncos (and the head coach of the North squad), handed Rypien the keys to the offense when Kansas’s Mike Norseth was felled by an injury during the game.

He responded with three touchdowns (including two scores in just 49 seconds in the fourth quarter) on the way to a 31-17 win over the South Team.

“I don’t think I did anything to hurt myself,” Rypien said after the contest about his NFL Draft position.

Sure enough, the Washington Redskins were impressed enough that the franchise took Rypien with the 146th overall pick in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft.

 

Deja Vu All Over Again

Mark Rypien #11, Quarterback for the Washington Redskins steps out
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Allsport/Getty Images)

 

Technically Rypien was a member of the Redskins roster in 1986 and 1987, but he suffered a few setbacks, just like his first few years at WSU.

Not only was he stuck behind veterans Doug Williams and Jay Schroeder, but he struggled with an injury in ‘86 and saw no playing time while his teammates went 12-4 then lost to the New York Giants in the NFC title game.

A year later, an aching back sidelined Rypien the entire season while Washington went 11-4 (a player strike reduced the number of games to 15).

Williams became the first Black quarterback in the history of the NFL to start and lead his team to victory in Super Bowl XXII, a 42-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos.

Two seasons into his own pro football career, Rypien had a world championship on his resume with exactly zero stats to show for it.

 

Finally a Starter

Mark Rypien #11, Quarterback for the Washington Redskins calls the play
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images)

 

In 1988, Rypien served as the backup to Williams after Schroeder was dealt to the LA Raiders.

It wasn’t until Week 4 that Rypien finally got action as the starter.

The ‘Skins lost to the Phoenix Cardinals, but the fill-in threw for 303 yards and two scores.

Although Washington regressed to 7-9 after their Super Bowl season, Rypien started six games (3-3 overall) for 1,730 yards, 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

When the 1989 season began, it was clear that Williams’ best days were in the rearview mirror and Rypien took over.

That year, Washington missed the postseason again with a 10-6 record.

However, Rypien passed for 3,768 yards (career-high), 22 touchdowns, 13 picks and one score rushing.

When Green Bay’s Don Majkowski and the 49ers Joe Montana were unable to appear in the Pro Bowl, Rypien was selected in their stead.

Then in 1990, the ‘Skins went 10-6 again and advanced to the divisional round before Montana and San Francisco eliminated them.

Rypien guided the team with 10 starts, 2,070 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

 

1991

Washington experienced a few down years after their world title in 1987, but they were back to form in 1991.

The organization’s roster included a healthy Rypien, a loaded backfield led by Earnest Byner, a mauling offensive line known as “The Hogs” and “The Posse” receiving core of Gary Clark, Art Monk and Ricky Sanders.

Before the season began, Rypien held out looking for more money and team owner Jack Kent Cooke told the media his QB was “a bloody idiot.”

“I’ve never held a grudge,” Rypien responded. “My contract’s up after this season. We’ll see what happens.”

Keeping contract negotiations on the back burner for the time being, Rypien tossed bullets to his receivers to the tune of 3,564 yards, 28 touchdowns (career-high) and 11 interceptions.

“That ’91-’92 team had a mission,” he said. “[Head coach] Joe Gibbs challenged us every Wednesday when we put in the game plan. We had 53 guys who went out on a mission, along with our head coach and staff, who kept us focused and gave us the best game plan to be successful.”

He was selected for the Pro Bowl again and chosen as a second-team All-Pro while leading the Redskins to a 14-2 record.

Washington’s sound defeats in the postseason of the upstart Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions (by a comically combined score of 65-17) led to another appearance in the NFL’s biggest game.

“I call myself street smart, football smart,” Rypien said. “We had a great football IQ on this team and we were always prepared by the coaches to handle anything. We had all the tools in place to be successful.”

 

MVP

mvp

 

Successful indeed.

Days before the contest, Washington fans were worried by the news that their quarterback was limping from a gimpy ankle suffered in practice the Thursday before game time.

“It was the worst sprained ankle I ever had in my career,” he said. “I was a little bit worried about the game on Thursday, not knowing if I’d be able to play. But I got treatment and thought if I could get through a walk-through, there was nothing keeping me out of this game.”

The ‘Skins were playing against the Buffalo Bills, who were appearing in their second consecutive Super Bowl.

Before the contest began, Washington was installed as seven point favorites and then promptly jumped out to a commanding lead.

“We are dominating this football team,” Rypien said years later. “We’re up 17-0, but it could be worse. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing.”

The second half began with Buffalo on offense then pivoted immediately when ‘Skins linebacker Kurt Gouveia snagged a Jim Kelly pass and returned it 23 yards to the Buffalo two on the first play of the third quarter.

Running back Gerald Riggs punched it in a play later to give Washington a 24-0 lead.

Buffalo answered with 10 straight points before Rypien found Clark on a 30-yard touchdown pass and a 31-10 advantage.

Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller added two field goals before the Bills scored two late touchdowns to make the score look a little competitive.

Super Bowl XXVI ended with a 37-24 Washington victory and Rypien was named the day’s MVP on the strength of his 292 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

“Rip got hit but stood in there, that was one of the keys,” Gibbs said afterward.

Since he was born in Canada, Rypien officially became the first foreign-born player to be named a Super Bowl MVP.

When the contest concluded, there was just one more thing to do.

“They ask you where you’re going after the Super Bowl, and with my oldest daughter Amber on my shoulder, I said, ‘We’re going to Disneyland!’ … I was just so caught up in the moment,” Rypien recalled.

 

1992-1993

Mark Rypien #11, Quarterback for the Washington Redskins hands the ball off
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images)

 

Winning a championship and getting selected to a Pro Bowl sure helped Rypien’s contract talks and Cooke gave him a three-year, $9 million deal before 1992.

Almost like clockwork, Washington struggled with injuries to the Hogs and the decreased production of many of its stars.

Rypien still passed for 3,282 yards but threw 13 touchdowns against 17 interceptions.

Furthermore, it looked like his ability to throw the deep ball well was declining.

“The ball kept coming up short,” he said. “I was working as hard as always, but it turns out I had a detached biceps tendon. I could still play, but I wasn’t as strong. I’m not one to make excuses, but it made a difference. I had to get that (tendon) tacked down, and then I injured a knee and then those things started piling up.”

A 9-7 record in ‘92 got the ‘Skins into the postseason and a wild-card defeat of Minnesota.

Unfortunately, the organization came up short against San Francisco in the divisional round.

In 1993, the injury bug again plagued Rypien and he was limited to 10 starts in 12 games.

His time in the nation’s capital was all but over following 1,514 yards, four touchdowns and 10 picks.

Although he participated with Washington during offseason workouts in early 1994, the Redskins released him.

 

The Rypien Family Experiences a Horrible Tragedy

Quarterback Mark Rypien of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on

 

Rypien’s fall from Super Bowl MVP to journeyman was swift.

In 1994, he was signed by the Cleveland Browns to back up Vinny Testaverde.

He started three games, went 2-1 and passed for 694 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

One year later, Rypien was a member of the St. Louis Rams backing up Chris Miller.

An 0-3 record as a starter with 1,448 yards, nine scores and eight picks followed.

In 1996, Rypien appeared in one game for the Philadelphia Eagles and returned to St. Louis in 1997 where he saw action in five contests.

Then, in 1998, the Atlanta Falcons signed him.

However, during training camp, Rypien and his then-wife, Annette, announced that their young son, Andrew, was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor and Rypien abruptly retired.

Andrew Rypien died on September 22, 2000.

“My faith was questioned. I went through being raised a Christian in the Catholic faith. We cursed often. ‘What is deserving of this?’ Then you pray for a miracle and then you also pray for some dignity when the day comes,” said Rypien in 2001.

The Rypien’s established the Rypien Foundation in honor of Andrew shortly after his passing.

 

Comeback, then Permanent Retirement

Retirement

 

During the summer of 2001, Rypien decided he wanted to return to pro football and the Indianapolis Colts signed him.

He played in four games and passed for 57 yards.

In 2002, Rypien was a member of the Seattle Seahawks before he was cut during the preseason.

It wasn’t until June of 2006 that Rypien would again don pads as a promotional stunt for the Rochester, New York, Raiders of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.

However, by then he was already retired from the NFL, having thrown his final pass in a meaningless preseason game for Seattle.

During Rypien’s 11-year career, he passed for 18,473 yards, 115 touchdowns and 88 interceptions and added 166 yards and eight scores on the ground.

He was a two-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro, two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl XXVI MVP and has since been added to the Redskins’ 90 Greatest Players list.

Rypien was placed in the Washington Commanders Ring of Fame in 2014 and inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

 

Life After Football

Former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien watches his tee shot
(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

 

Rypien was active in sports during and after his time in the NFL.

For a brief while in the late 1990s, he was the owner of a NASCAR team that competed in the Winston Cup Series.

He then sold his team to Roush Racing in 1997.

After his playing career, Rypien played golf and even competed in one Web.com competition and a PGA event.

In 2014, the former Super Bowl MVP won the American Century Championship held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for the second time to lay claim as the best American golfer among entertainment and sports celebrities.

Between 2011 and 2013, Rypien’s daughter, Angela, played a season for the Seattle Mist and two years with the Baltimore Charm of the Lingerie/Legends Football League.

Then, as is common among former NFL players, Rypien shared with the media in 2018 that he is suffering from the lingering effects of the hits he took while playing football.

His second wife, Danielle, told the Seattle Times that year about how her husband suddenly changed, seemingly overnight.

“Mark had never said a mean word to me the first two years we were together,” Danielle said. “Never had an argument. And he just snapped out of the blue. There was no trigger. It didn’t make sense. And later on, he was like, ‘What happened?’ He felt bad for days, to where it was crushing him that he’d done that.”

Rypien believes he is suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and was one of 4,500 former NFL players to file suit against the league.

“People think you have to be knocked out to have a concussion,” said Rypien, who said he may have been diagnosed with three during his career. “There are hundreds of times you shake it off and get back in there. It’s all about the cumulative hits. That’s what causes brain damage.”

In 2022, Danielle Wade, now divorced from Rypien, brought a suit against him claiming abuse, battery, false imprisonment, and domestic violence.

Rypien has since spent time watching his nephew, Brett Rypien, bounce around the NFL as a backup quarterback for six different teams.

 

References

https://www.driveraverages.com

https://www.si.com/high-school

https://www.si.com

https://vault.si.com

https://vault.si.com

https://archive.seattletimes.com

https://bleacherreport.com

https://www.seattletimes.com

ouatsports.com

https://www.spokesman.com

https://vault.si.com

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb

www.tahoedailytribune.com

https://www.commanders.com

https://sports.yahoo.com

https://www.sportscasting.com

https://www.rypienfoundation.org

www.polishsportshof.com

https://www.spokesman.com

https://www.spokesman.com

https://www.pro-football-reference.com

NEXT:  The Life And Career Of Santana Moss

Recent Stories

Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos reacts
The Life And Career Of Mike Anderson
A general view of the Philadelphia Eagles helmet after the game against the Washington Redskins at the Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Redskins defeated the Eagles 17-14.
The Life And Career Of Bill Bergey
Honoree Bob Griese speaks onstage
The Life And Career Of Bob Griese
Cleveland Browns helmet
The Life And Career Of Charles White
Linebacker Darryl Talley of the Buffalo Bills
The Life And Career Of Darryl Talley
Head coach Herm Edwards of the Arizona State Sun Devils
The Life And Career Of Herm Edwards
Ben Donahue
Read Full Bio
Pro Football History Staff
Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Join Pro Football History Community! 🌟 Cold Wire Favicon
You must be logged in to post a comment. Log in or sign up Become a part of Pro Football History and enjoy exclusive benefits.

Sign up to comment on articles, engage with fellow sports fans, and contribute to high-quality discussions. Create a personalized profile and stay informed with tailored email notifications. Help us maintain a respectful and inclusive community.

Already have an account? Log in here.

Pro Football History