Mark Robert Rypien (born October 2, 1962) is a former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Washington State Cougars and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL draft. He was named Super Bowl MVP, doing so in Super Bowl XXVI with the Redskins. He also played for several other NFL teams. His nephew Brett plays in the NFL as a quarterback.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, on October 2, 1962, Rypien's family moved to the United States when he was three, settling in Spokane, Washington. He was a star three-sport athlete at Shadle Park High School. All three of his varsity numbers (football, basketball, and baseball) were later retired by the school.
He earned Parade All-American honors as a high school senior and received scholarship offers from across the country before accepting a football scholarship to Washington State University in Pullman, and joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. A knee injury in spring drills in 1982 redshirted him for that season and he nearly left football and WSU in November 1983 but stayed and earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors in 1984 and led WSU's fabled RPM offense in 1985. He was inducted into WSU's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. He played in the 1986 Senior Bowl.
Rypien was selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round (146th overall) of the 1986 NFL draft. He spent his first two years as a professional on the injured reserved list, first with a bad knee in 1986, then a bad back in 1987. He watched from the sidelines as the Redskins won Super Bowl XXII under coach Joe Gibbs in January 1988 behind the quarterbacking of veteran Doug Williams.
Rypien became the second stringer after Jay Schroeder, who lost his job to Williams late in the 1987 season, was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. In Week 4 against the newly relocated Phoenix Cardinals, Rypien got his first chance to start for an injured Williams and threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns in a 30–21 loss. In six starts, he went 3–3 and he appeared in nine games overall, including a four-touchdown game in a rematch against the Cardinals. He threw for 1,730 yards in those games and finished with three more touchdowns than Williams had, by a count of 18–15.
Rypien was named the starter for 1989 ahead of the injured and aging Williams. Rypien emerged as a star quarterback as he threw for 3,768 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading the Redskins to a 10–6 record. The team missed the playoffs but Rypien received a bid as an injury replacement for Joe Montana and Don Majkowski in that year's Pro Bowl (NFC coach John Robinson elected to bring only one injury replacement for his intended starter and #2 quarterback).
Rypien was best known for his phenomenal accuracy as a deep passer. He made the Pro Bowl in his first full season as a starter, doing so as an injury replacement.
The 1991 season was Rypien's best: he threw for 3,564 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, leading the Redskins to Super Bowl XXVI after recording a 14–2 regular season record. He was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the game, passing for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and leading his team to a 37–24 win over the Buffalo Bills. Rypien, a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, became the first foreign-born player to earn the honor. Rypien was named to the Pro Bowl in both 1989 and 1991.
Rypien was one of several players to benefit from the team's success following their championship season. The Redskins signed him to a 3-year, $9 million deal entering the 1992 season. However, the team battled age and injuries and finished the regular season with a 9–7 record, barely making the playoffs. His passing yardage was a respectable 3,282 yards, but his passer rating fell from 97.9 in 1991 to 71.7 in 1992 and his interceptions outnumbered his touchdowns 17–13. Although a dominant team performance in the playoffs brought victory over the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC Wild Card away game, the Redskins eventually lost on a rainy, muddy field in a bruising game against the San Francisco 49ers, and the Rypien era was essentially over. Under new head coach Richie Petitbon, Rypien had his best training camp in 1993 and expectations were high following a Monday Night win over the defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys. However, Rypien injured his knee in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals and the team began a precipitous slide toward a 4–12 season finish.
When he was healthy enough to return, Rypien performed spot duty, sharing time with the newly acquired Rich Gannon. The Redskins hired Norv Turner as their head coach in 1994. Rypien participated in offseason workouts, but the team later released him.
On May 11, 1994, Rypien signed with the Cleveland Browns to backup Vinny Testaverde. He played in six games for the Browns that year, starting three of them. In those three games he went 2–1, including a 26–7 win over the Eagles.
On May 6, 1995, Rypien signed with the St. Louis Rams, this time to backup Chris Miller. He started the final three games of the season, going 0–3 in that span to finish a disappointing season for the team. He had his best performance against the Buffalo Bills in his first start where he went 31 of 55 for 372 yards and two touchdowns despite the team's 45–27 loss to Jim Kelly.
On October 3, 1996, Rypien signed with the Philadelphia Eagles due to an injury to starter Rodney Peete. His last NFL touchdown pass came in relief of Eagles quarterback Ty Detmer, an 8-yarder to Irving Fryar with five seconds remaining in a 37–10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
On March 4, 1997, Rypien re-signed with the Rams. He played in five games and did not score any touchdowns.
He signed with the Atlanta Falcons for the 1998 season but never played in Atlanta. His son's death from a malignant brain tumor that August caused Rypien to retire.
After a three-year hiatus, Rypien unretired and signed with the Indianapolis Colts on August 1, 2001. He would appear in four games for the Colts. He made his first appearance in week three against the New England Patriots in relief of Peyton Manning. He would attempt his only passes of the season that game going five of nine for 57 yards in the 44–13 loss.
On August 19, 2002, Rypien signed with the Seattle Seahawks to be the backup for Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer. He played in two preseason games and finished 13 of 21 passing for 97 yards, but was ultimately cut on September 3, 2002.
Rypien's last professional game was on June 10, 2006; as part of a promotional gig for the Rochester Raiders of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL).