Mark Rypien

Mark Rypien grew up competing against the best. At Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Washington, he faced older kids who went on to become all-stars in baseball (Ryne Sandberg) and the NBA (John Stockton). Rypien made his name in football, first at Washington State, where he earned first team All-Pac-10 honors.

After being drafted by the Redskins in the sixth round of th 1986 draft, Rypien spent nearly two years on injured reserve and watched as Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams passed Washington to victory in XXII. He subbed for the injured Williams for part of 1988, and by 1989 Rypien started for Washington. Two seasons later Rypien was a Super Bowl MVP himself.

He led the Redskins to a 14-2 regular season in 1991 by tallying 3,564 yards, 28 touchdowns, and the league's second-highest passer rating. Rypien guided Washington to convincing victories over Atlanta and Detroit in the playoffs, then carved up the Buffalo Bills for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns to earn Super Bowl XXVI MVP honors in a 37-24 victory.

Rypien surpassed 3,000 yards again in 1992, leading the injury-riddled Redskins to a playoff upset of Minnesota in head coach Joe Gibbs's last season. Rypien left the rebuilding Redskins after the 1993 season and began a second career as a veteran backup. He had one-year stints in Cleveland (1994) and Philadelphia (1996) and spent 1995 and 1997 with the St. Louis Rams. He signed a contract and spent the 2001 season with the Indianapolis Colts backing up Peyton Manning.