|
|
Sam Rutigliano
| Sam Rutigliano was brought in as coach of the Browns because management felt he could relate to the players better than the stern Forrest Gregg. Sam had been given a club that didn't have a direction, even though it had stars such as Greg and Mike Pruitt, Doug Dieken, Paul Warfield, and a defense loaded with talent. Sam's first order of business was Brian Sipe, the 13th round draft selection and starting QB. Sam saw talent in the young but erratic Sipe, and was able to turn him into not only a productive starter, but the league MVP as well. After a couple of seasons on .500 ball, Cleveland had a breakout year in '80. Brian Sipe was named the league MVP as he threw for 30 TD's. This club came to be know as the Kardiac Kids for their late game nail-biting victories. 9 of their 11 victories were won by less than a TD, and most of them were of the come-from-behind nature. Sam will be remembered not for his accomplishments, however, but for one mistake. It came in the 1980 playoff game against the Raiders. Cleveland trailed 14-12 late in the 4th when the Kids started to mount a comeback. Late in the game, Sam decided to pass up a field goal opportunity in the swirling winds of Cleveland Stadium and throw toward the endzone. Red Right 88 was the name of the play, and as Sipe's pass floated in the brisk wind on the open end of the stadium, a Raiders defender stepped in front of Ozzie Newsome in the endzone to catch it. The play is forever remembered as the "Mistake on the Lake," and unfortunately that's almost all that is remembered of Sam, Sipe, and the Kardiac Kids. Sipe went on to the USFL after the '83 season, and the Browns fell apart the next year. That's what cost Rutigliano his job. |
|
Yr:
|
Team |
W
|
L
|
T
|
Pct
|
Finish | Playoffs |
|
1978
|
Cleveland |
8
|
8
|
0
|
.500
|
3rd AFC C | - |
|
1979
|
Cleveland |
9
|
7
|
0
|
.563
|
3rd AFC C | - |
|
1980
|
Cleveland |
11
|
5
|
0
|
.688
|
1st AFC C | 0-1 |
|
1981
|
Cleveland |
5
|
11
|
0
|
.313
|
4th AFC C | - |
|
1982
|
Clevlenad |
4
|
5
|
0
|
.444
|
8th AFC | 0-1 |
|
1983
|
Cleveland |
9
|
7
|
0
|
.563
|
2nd AFC C | - |
|
1984
|
Cleveland |
1
|
7
|
0
|
.125
|
3rd AFC C | - |
|
NFL
|
Totals |
47
|
50
|
0
|
.485
|
0-2 |
|
