Mark Rypien had a flair for the dramatic throughout his career with the Washington Redskins, but his finest performance on the biggest of stages left no doubts.
Against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI on Jan. 26, 1992, the Rypien-led Redskins offense jumped out to a commanding 24-0 lead by early into the third quarter and never looked back, as Washington claimed its fifth world championship and third Super Bowl title in franchise history with a 37-24 win in front of an estimated 79.6 million TV viewers.
Take a look back at the career of legendary Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien.
For his efforts, Rypien – who completed 18-of-33 passes for 292 yards with two touchdowns and an interception – was named the game's Most Valuable Player, further securing his place in Redskins history.
On Sunday, Rypien's status as a Redskins legend will literally be cemented into the upper deck at FedExField, as he becomes the 46th member of the Washington Redskins Ring Of Fame.
Rypien said he was preparing to play in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in July – an event he ended up winning – when Redskins owner Dan Snyder and President/general manager Bruce Allen reached out to him to deliver the news.
"I'm extremely excited," Rypien told Redskins.com. "I'm very honored, very humbled to be a part of such tremendous history in the National Football League and with the Washington Redskins."
Allen broke the news of Rypien's upcoming induction into the Ring Of Fame the next month at the team's 53rd-annual Welcome Home Luncheon, and told the crowd that the team's blue ribbon Ring Of Fame panel made the correct decision.
"Dan Snyder has a committee that decides who goes into this ring," Allen said. "And this blue ribbon panel of alumni and other people from the Washington area have to answer one question, one simple question: can you write the history of the Washington Redskins without, 'Blank?' And you insert different names into it. And this year, we are honoring a Super Bowl MVP."
Rypien spent eight seasons in Washington from 1986 to 1993, appearing in 77 games with 72 starts for the Redskins. He completed 1,244-of-2,207 passes for 15,928 yards with 101 touchdowns and a passer rating of 80.2, while also adding eight rushing touchdowns during his time with the Redskins.
His name appears several times in the Redskins' record book, where he ranks fourth in passing yards, fifth in touchdown passes and 10th in quarterback rating.
But perhaps Rypien's greatest legacy other than his Super Bowl MVP performance will be in the clutch, where he displayed that rare knack to hunker down and get the job done. Rypien – a two-time Pro Bowl selection who is also a member of the 80 Greatest Redskins – is tied for second in franchise history in game-winning drives with 11, and is fourth in fourth-quarter comebacks with eight.
His head coach, Joe Gibbs, said Rypien was among the best he's seen at delivering deep, accurate passes down the field.
"Mark Rypien's sideline throws would wobble and didn't look all that pretty," Gibbs said. "But that man could throw the deep stuff."
Rypien said he's sharing his Ring of Fame honor with the rest of his teammates and the Redskins fans, especially those who had the house rocking at RFK Stadium on a weekly basis.
"When they hoist that name up there in October, there's 52 guys that deserve to be on that name that represent who we were and what we did," he said. "There's also 55,000 and such and such a people, a lot of who are here, that were at RFK stadium that gave us the intangible things to go out and play hard and really made it difficult for teams to play here."
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