Did You Know
The '''Baltimore Ravens''' are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They compete in the AFC North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Ravens have won one Super Bowl title, Super Bowl XXXV, in the 2000 season against the New York Giants.
History
The Baltimore Ravens came into existence after a flurry of legal activity was triggered in 1995 when Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his intention to relocate his team from Cleveland to Baltimore. The controversy ended when representatives of Cleveland and the NFL reached a settlement on February 8, 1996. The agreement stipulated that the Browns' name, colors, uniform design and franchise records would remain in Cleveland. The franchise history included Browns club records and connections with Pro Football Hall of Fame players. A new team to begin play in 1999 would be regarded as the "reactivated" Cleveland Browns. Modell's Baltimore team, while retaining all current player contracts, would officially be the expansion team, a "new franchise."[Morgan, Jon. , ''The Baltimore Sun'', February 9, 1996.] Before this agreement was in place, the citizens and politicians of Baltimore already decided that they did not want Cleveland's NFL heritage. Therefore, even without the agreement the name of the franchise would have been changed. The fans of Baltimore only wanted the Baltimore Colts heritage which belonged to the City of Baltimore.
Modell relocated the team and hired Ted Marchibroda as head coach. Marchibroda was already well known because of his work as head coach of the Baltimore Colts during the 1970s and the Indianapolis Colts during the early 1990s. Ozzie Newsome, the Browns' tight end for many seasons, joined Modell in Baltimore as director of football operations. He was later promoted to Vice President/General Manager.
Focus groups, a telephone survey, and a fan contest helped determine a new name for the team. Team management began with a list of over 100 possible names and reduced it to 17. Focus groups consisting of 200 Baltimore area residents reduced that list to six. A phone survey of 1000 people trimmed the list to three names: Marauders, Americans, and Ravens. Finally, a fan contest drawing of 33,288 voters picked "Ravens." The name is drawn from Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem "The Raven." Poe spent the last days of his life in Baltimore and his grave is located in the city. The raven in the poem is a symbol of loss. For many Baltimore residents it seemed a fitting emblem for the franchise that would have to take the place of the lost Colts in fans' affections.
The home stadium for the Ravens first season in 1996 was Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, home field of the Baltimore Colts years before. The 1996 Ravens finished with a 4-12 record. The 1997 Ravens started 3–1. Peter Boulware, a rookie defender from Florida State, recorded 11.5 sacks and was named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. The team finished 6–9–1. The Ravens played their 1998 season in their own new stadium at Camden Yards. Raven Stadium would subsequently wear the names PSI Net Stadium and then M&T Bank Stadium. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde left for the New York Jets before the season and was replaced by former Indianapolis Colt Jim Harbaugh, and later Eric Zeier. Cornerback Rod Woodson joined the team after a successful stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Priest Holmes started getting the first playing time of his career and ran for 1,000 yards. The Ravens finished with a 6–10 record.
Three consecutive losing seasons under Marchibroda led to a change in the head coach. Brian Billick took over as head coach in 1999. Billick had been offensive coordinator for the record-setting Minnesota Vikings the season before. Quarterback Tony Banks came to Baltimore from the St. Louis Rams and had the best season of his career with 17 touchdown passes and an 81.2 pass rating. He was joined by receiver Qadry Ismail, who posted a 1,000-yard season. The Ravens struggled early starting 3-6 but managed to finish with an 8–8 record.
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