Jan. 13, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Brian Sipe, one of 13 San Diego State players to earn multiple All-America honors and the 1980 National Football League Most Valuable Player, has been named an assistant football coach, Aztec head coach Brady Hoke announced Tuesday. Sipe, who spent the last eight years as head coach at Santa Fe Christian High School in Solana Beach, will work with the SDSU quarterbacks.
"Brian Sipe believes in our players and is there for them and that¡¦s important to us," Hoke said. "Brian Sipe is one of the best players to come out of San Diego State.
"I got to spend a lot of time with Brian," Hoke added. "When you do that you get a feel for the kind of person he is, his character, his integrity, and his knowledge of the game. He met with coach (Al) Borges and I and talked about the game. Obviously, he is a guy who has had the success at coaching at the high school level and also playing success. He knows an awful lot (about the game), especially a lot of the intangibles that quarterbacks need to have."
One of the greatest football players in program history, Sipe starred at quarterback for San Diego State from 1969-71, before embarking on a 12-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. As an Aztec, the Sipe completed 436-of-788 passes for 5,707 yards and 44 touchdowns. He compiled a 15-7 record as a starter and his 68.2 winning percentage is the third highest in the school's Division I era. Sipe posted seven 300-yard passing performances, the fourth-highest total in school history, including a career-best 439 passing yards against Utah State on Oct. 22, 1971. He was inducted into the Aztec Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 1988.
"There is no other place that I would choose to coach at other than San Diego State right now," Sipe said. "It's an important time for this program and we have the right head coach to make this program something that we're all proud of."
Sipe played for legendary SDSU coach Don Coryell and was the Aztecs' leading passer in 1970 and 1971. In 1970, he directed SDSU to a 9-2 record as the Aztecs spent eight weeks ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation. The following year, Sipe guided SDSU to a 6-5 record. As a junior, he was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press after throwing for 2,618 yards and 23 touchdowns. A year later, Sipe was once against an honorable mention All-American after he led the nation in completions per game with a 17.8 mark. His first season on campus, he was a member of the Aztecs' undefeated 11-0 squad in 1969 that won the Pasadena Bowl.
The San Diego native was drafted in the 13th round of the 1972 NFL Draft. Sipe played for 10 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, compiling career numbers of 1,944 completions, 3,439 attempts, 23,713 passing yards and 154 passing touchdowns. In 1980, he earned league MVP honors and was named first-team all-pro, leading the Browns to an 11-5 record. That season, he completed more than 60 percent of his passes, threw for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to a league-best 91.4 passer rating.
In his NFL career, Sipe ranked among the top three quarterbacks in passing yards three times and was among the top six in touchdown strikes on five occasions. He was inducted into the Cleveland Browns' Hall of Fame in 2002.
Sipe continued his professional football playing career in the United States Football League with the New Jersey Generals and Jacksonville Bulls from 1984-85.
Before returning to San Diego State, Sipe spent the last eight years as head football coach at Santa Fe Christian High School, where he helped the Eagles to four CIF titles and a combined record of 75-21-1.
Sipe and his wife, Jeri, a 1972 San Diego State graduate, have three children, Lani, Morgan and Nolan.
The Brian Sipe FileCollege: San Diego State
Coaching Experience:2001-09 Santa Fe Christian School Head Coach
Playing Experience:1969-1971 San Diego State Quarterback1972-1983 Cleveland Browns Quarterback1984 New Jersey Generals (USFL) Quarterback1985 Jacksonville Bulls (USFL) Quarterback
Athletic Achievements:* A three-year letterwinner in football at SDSU* Starting quarterback during the 1970 and 1971 seasons* 1971 first-team all-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference selection* 1970 UPI honorable mention All-American* 1971 AP and UPI honorable mention All-American* As a senior in 1971, he led the NCAA in passing completions per game (17.8 CPG)* MVP of the 1971 American Bowl all-star game* Quarterbacked the West squad in the 1971 East-West Shrine game* As a sophomore, was a member of SDSU¡¦s 11-0 squad that won the Pasadena Bowl.* A 13th round draft selection of the Cleveland Browns in the 1972 NFL draft* Browns starting quarterback from 1976-1983* Is known as the franchise¡¦s most productive quarterback ever for his performances during his 12-year career with Cleveland* Passed for more than 3,700 yards in three consecutive seasons (1979-81)* Passed for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns (both are team records) in 1980 to lead the Browns to their first postseason berth since 1972* Named consensus NFL league MVP in 1980* Selected to start for the AFC in the 1981 Pro Bowl* Holds the Browns career passing marks for yards (23,713), touchdowns (154), attempts (3,439) and completions (1,944).* Member of the 1961 Little League World Series winning team from El Cajon, Calif.