Mike Phipps Michael Elston Phipps ( born January 19 , 1947 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football league ( NFL ) for twelve seasons during the 1970s and 1980s . Phipps played college football for Purdue University , and was recognized as an All - American . He was the third overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears of the NFL . Early years . Phipps was born in Shelbyville , Indiana . He attended Columbus High School in Columbus , Indiana , and played for the Columbus Bulldogs high school football team . College career . Phipps attended Purdue University , where he played for the Purdue Boilermakers football team . He began his college career replacing All - American Boilermakers quarterback Bob Griese . His first major victory was a 28 - 21 upset of defending national champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 30 , 1967 . Combining strong passing skills with excellent mobility helped Phipps establish a new school single - season record for total offense and earn the Boilermakers a share of the Big Ten Conference title . The following year , Phipps suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of two games , and was overshadowed by teammate Leroy Keyes , a running back who spent all season in contention for the Heisman Trophy . The Boilermakers were the top - ranked team in the country until the Ohio State Buckeyes upset them 13 - 0 on October 12 . In 1969 , Phipps became the focal point of Purdue ' s offense , throwing for five touchdowns in a 36 - 35 thriller over Stanford University on October 4 , including throwing for a two - point conversion with three minutes left . He finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy to Oklahoma Sooners running back Steve Owens . He was awarded the 1969 Sammy Baugh Trophy . Professional career . Phipps was picked third in the 1970 draft by the Miami Dolphins , who traded him to the Cleveland Browns for All Pro wide receiver Paul Warfield on January 27 , 1970 . Phipps saw limited action during his first two seasons . In the team ' s third game of the 1970 NFL season , Phipps came off the bench to lead a 15 - 7 comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers . However , his lone start of the year would be a 14 - 10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on November 15 , 1970 , as the rookie finished with 529 passing yards on the season . The following year , Phipps threw for only 179 yards and started just one contest : a 13 - 7 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on November 14 . In 1972 , Phipps again began the season on the sidelines , but became the team ' s starting quarterback after a disappointing 26 - 10 opening game loss to the Green Bay Packers on September 17 . He threw for 13 touchdowns and nearly 2 , 000 yards , helping the Browns reach the NFL playoffs . In the November 13 game against the San Diego Chargers , he led a last - minute drive to win the 21 - 17 contest . In the team ' s playoff clash against the undefeated Miami Dolphins on December 24 , Phipps had led the team to a 14 - 13 fourth quarter lead , but his five interceptions helped end hopes of a possible upset . The following year , he threw for nine touchdowns , but was intercepted 20 times . Despite these struggles , he engineered two late - season comebacks in a win over the Steelers and a tie against the Kansas City Chiefs . However , the Browns missed the playoffs with a 7 - 5 - 2 record . In 1974 , the team collapsed with a 4 - 10 record , and Phipps was briefly replaced by Brian Sipe at mid - season . The 1975 season was even more disastrous as the Browns dropped their first nine games and Phipps working under the tutelage of quarterback coach Blanton Collier . The team ' s first victory came in a 35 - 23 of the Cincinnati Bengals on November 23 as Phipps threw for a personal high of 298 yards . Two other victories helped give hope for a turnaround the following season . In the team ' s 1976 opener against the New York Jets , Phipps started the game , but suffered a separated shoulder after being tackled by the Jets ' Shafer Suggs . By the time he had recovered from the injury , Sipe had established himself as the team ' s new leader and Phipps ' time in Cleveland was soon to come to an end . That finish came on May 3 , 1977 , when Phipps was traded to the Bears for a first round draft pick in 1978 , which turned out to be Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome . He saw minimal action during the 1977 NFL season , threw for two touchdowns ( along with 10 interceptions ) the next year , but saw his most extensive action in 1979 . During that year , he threw for 1 , 535 yards and nine touchdowns , as he battled teammates Bob Avellini and Vince Evans for playing time . Phipps threw for a pair of touchdown in each of the next two seasons , but his limited role and the arrival of both quarterback Jim McMahon in the 1982 NFL draft and new coach Mike Ditka resulted in his release . Phipps was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 . Personal . Mike Phipps currently resides in Lighthouse Point , Florida . He is married to his high school sweetheart , Carole , and they have five children .