Mark Rypien
A sixth-round draft pick who silenced critics by leading Washington to a Super Bowl victory and earning MVP honors.
Born 1962 (age 64)·Canadian-born American football player·Birthday: October 2·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mark Rypien's path to football's summit was anything but assured. Born in Canada, he played college ball at Washington State before the Washington Redskins selected him as an afterthought in the sixth round of the 1986 draft. For years, he battled for the starting job, his powerful arm often overshadowed by questions about his consistency. His moment arrived in the 1991 season. Operating coach Joe Gibbs' offense with surgical precision, Rypien unleashed deep passes to a talented receiving corps, propelling the team to a dominant 14-2 record. His crowning achievement came in Super Bowl XXVI, where he dissected the Buffalo Bills defense, throwing for 292 yards and two touchdowns to secure the Lombardi Trophy and the game's MVP award. His 14-year career, which included stops in Cleveland, St. Louis, and Philadelphia, is a testament to resilience, proving that late-round picks can become franchise legends.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mark was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won Super Bowl XXVI as the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins.
- Named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXVI after passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns.
- Led the NFL in passer rating (97.9) and yards per attempt (8.5) during the 1991 championship season.
- Threw for over 3,000 yards in three consecutive seasons (1989-1991) with Washington.
Did You Know?
He is one of only two Canadian-born players to be named Super Bowl MVP.
His nephew, Brett Rypien, has also played quarterback in the NFL.
He played his final NFL game for the Indianapolis Colts in 2001, backing up Peyton Manning.
“They said I couldn't win the big one. Then I was holding the Super Bowl MVP trophy.”
