HEART BROKEN: Still in our heart big star………

At the age of 87, former Browns quarterback Frank Ryan passed away.

On New Year’s Day, Ryan’s family informed others of his passing. He had spent a considerable amount of his life battling Alzheimer’s

illness.

After being transferred to Cleveland in 1962, Ryan was a member of the Browns for seven years. Originally recruited to cover starting

quarterback Jim Ninowski, he took over as the starter following Ninowski’s 1962 season-ending injury.

Throughout the 1963 season, Ryan was the Browns’ starting quarterback. He passed for 2,026 yards and 25 touchdowns while helping

the team to a 10-4 record. Then, after defeating the Baltimore Colts in 1964, Ryan guided the Browns to their fourth NFL title in team

history.

Ryan completed his seven-year career with a 52–22 record, 13,361 yards of passing for 134 touchdowns and 88 interceptions.

Additionally, in 1964, he was the final quarterback to lead the Browns to their most recent NFL championship. He led the NFL in

throwing touchdowns in 1964 and was a three-time Pro Bowl player from 1964 to 1966.

The following was provided by Ryan’s family:

Frank Ryan, a legendary member of the Cleveland Browns and an NFL quarterback, sadly went away from Alzheimer’s disease.

The development of the illness is thought to have been aided by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Between 1958 and 1970,

Frank participated in 13 NFL seasons. In 1964, he helped the Browns win their final NFL Championship, defeating the Baltimore Colts

27-0 with three touchdown passes. Inducted as a Cleveland Browns Legend in 2005, he was chosen for three NFL Pro Bowls between

1964 and 1966. During his career, Frank also played for the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Rams. Frank was a quarterback

who led his team to numerous amazing victories and set career records. He also earned a PhD in mathematics from Rice University in

1965, which helped him advance in his career.

Frank led the creation of the first computerized voting system utilized by the US Congress during his seven years as the Director of

House Information Systems for the US House of Representatives, following his retirement from professional football in 1970. Frank

served as Yale University’s athletic director for ten years after being appointed to the position in 1977. Frank worked as a Vice

President for Institutional Planning at Rice University, his alma mater, following his time at Yale. Frank also taught mathematics at

the undergraduate and graduate levels throughout his long career, first at Case Western Reserve, then at Yale, and finally at Rice. After

retiring to Vermont, Frank carried on his lifetime research of the greatest unsolved mathematical puzzles.

Academic success was just as important to Frank as athletic performance, if not more so. Later in life, he strongly cautioned people

closest to him about the risks of football injuries, including concussions. Frank has donated his brain to the Boston University CTE

Center, following in the footsteps of many of his teammates and friends, in an effort to raise awareness of the effects of recurrent brain

trauma on the human nervous system among future football players, their families, and the general public.

Frank was asked to sign thousands of autographs by admirers from all around the nation, regardless of their age or background. He

treasured every fan letter he got and showed how much he respected his supporters. Frank signed every signature that was sent to

him, up until the point where he was no longer able to do so due to physical limitations.

Earlier this year, Frank and his spouse Joan celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Frank was surrounded by a big, loving family

that brought him joy and happiness throughout his life and was there for him when he passed away.

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