Dawgs By Nature
18 questions with a former Cleveland quarterback
Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Mike Pagel came to the franchise in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts in 1986. He had already played in 51 NFL games with 47 starts.
Yet when he arrived in Cleveland, he was penciled in as the #3 quarterback.
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Bernie Kosar had just completed his rookie season and played in 12 games. Gary Danielson was the seasoned veteran hired to mentor Kosar after he came over in a trade with the Detroit Lions during the spring of 1985. He had started the early portion of the year before Kosar took over. Paul McDonald was entrenched as QB3. But Danielson had shoulder surgery and was the unknown of when he would return. The Browns needed a seasoned veteran behind the youngster, Kosar.
Pagel was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 draft by the Baltimore Colts, then traded to the Browns and played from 1986 to 1990 before moving on to the Los Angeles Rams from 1991-1993. In his final year of pro football, Pagel played for the Massachusetts Marauders of the Arena Football League, where the team went 8-4-0, won a playoff game, and then lost 51-42 to Orlando in the semifinals. Pagel threw 46 touchdowns against 14 picks.
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Pagel, who competed at 6’-2”, 206 pounds, played in 132 NFL games with 54 starts, compiled 9,414 career passing yards, 1,509 passing attempts with 756 completions, tossed 49 touchdowns, 63 interceptions, had a 50.1% completion ratio, and a career 63.3 QB rating. He was sacked 115 times. He also rushed 136 times for 831 yards with an additional four scores.
In the 1986 preseason, he broke his ankle and was ruled out for the entire season. For his career, Pagel had six fourth-quarter comebacks and eight game-winning drives, including the 23-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings with Cleveland on December 17, 1989.
With Kosar sidelined by injury in 1988, Pagel completed 17 of 25 passes with two touchdowns and an interception in a 24-23 Wild Card home playoff loss to the Houston Oilers after the Browns finished the regular season 10-6-0.
After he hung up his cleats, Pagel became a senior project manager for AT&T, worked as an analyst for FSN Ohio’s high school football telecasts and various college games, and for the Browns’ radio network, and coached high school football.
The football stadium at Pagel’s alma mater, Washington High School in Phoenix, is named after his family’s namesake, “Pagel Field.”
Pagel now lives in central North Carolina, directly between Charlotte and Raleigh, and has been married for 24 years to Lisa, with five older children. The couple are Christians.
Dawgs By Nature’s Barry Shuck was able to sit down with Pagel to discuss how he beat out a first-round draft pick while with the Colts, what was so special about Browns offensive coordinator Lindy Infante, and how the league is...
