What is the history of the Baltimore Ravens?
History of the Baltimore Ravens. Jump to navigation Jump to search. This article details the history of the Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football team which plays in the National Football League. The Ravens were formed to fill in the void left by Baltimore's previous team, the Colts, who had controversially moved to Indianapolis.
How much is the Baltimore Ravens franchise worth?
This graph depicts the franchise value of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League from 2002 to 2019. In 2019, the franchise value came to 2.8 billion U.S. dollars. The Baltimore Ravens are owned by Stephen Bisciotti, who bought the franchise for 600 million U.S. dollars in 2004.
Who is the owner of the Baltimore Ravens football team?
The Ravens were established in 1996, after Art Modell, who was then the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to relocate the franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1995.
What was the first year the Ravens played in the NFL?
1996: Inaugural Season. The 1996 season was the inaugural season of the Baltimore Ravens, and the first time a regular season NFL game was hosted at Memorial Stadium in 13 years. They won their first game at home against the Oakland Raiders, but lost the next two against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Oilers.
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Who is the newest NFL team?
The Jaguars and Texans are the NFL's two newest franchises.
What NFL team was in Baltimore before the Ravens?
02/15: Ted Marchibroda was named the Ravens' first head coach 21 years and 1 month to the day he was hired by the then-Baltimore Colts in 1975. 03/29: Baltimore's NFL franchise was officially named Ravens after a Baltimore Sun telephone poll received record number of calls supporting the name Ravens.
How much would it cost to buy the Baltimore Ravens?
In 2022, the franchise value came to 3.9 billion U.S. dollars. The Baltimore Ravens are owned by Stephen Bisciotti, who bought the franchise for 600 million U.S. dollars in 2004....Baltimore Ravens franchise value from 2002 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)CharacteristicFranchise value in million U.S. dollars----11 more rows•Sep 2, 2022
How many years was Baltimore without a football team?
Baltimore remained without an NFL football franchise for 13 years after the Baltimore Colts relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1996, however, the NFL approved Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell's proposal to relocate the franchise ...
Why did the Browns move to Baltimore?
In late 1995, Modell announced the move of the franchise to Baltimore. Browns owner Art Modell claimed financial hardships, but announced the move before Cleveland was able to propose an offer to keep the Browns. In fact, voters approved a renovation of Cleveland Municipal Stadium that November.
What are Baltimore Ravens fans called?
Ravens Flock | Baltimore Ravens – baltimoreravens.com.
How much is a beer at a Ravens game?
Premium beer 16 oz. from $9.50 to $8. Premium draft beer from $9.50 to $8. Premium spirits from $10 to $9.
How much is a beer at M&T Stadium?
The franchise, owned by controversial mogul Dan Snyder, will charge a whopping $14 for a standard draft beer. To add insult to injury, FedEx Field is only a 40 minute drive to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, where beers will be less than half the cost: $6.50.
Do the Ravens sell out?
The Baltimore Ravens have sold out every home game at M&T Bank Stadium since the team relocated from Cleveland in 1996.
Where do visiting NFL teams stay in Baltimore?
Many, but not all, visiting teams stay at the Convention Center Hilton, which is located across Camden Street from the Orioles Park left field stands. At least one team has stayed at the Marriott at the Baltimore Harbor East, across the waterfront from Pier 6.
Who has won the most Super Bowls?
Most Super Bowl Wins: Which NFL Teams Top The List?T-1. New England Patriots: 6 Super Bowl Wins. ... T-1. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6 Super Bowl Wins. ... T-3. San Francisco 49ers: 5 Super Bowl Wins. ... T-3. Dallas Cowboys: 5 Super Bowl wins. ... T-5. Green Bay Packers: 4 Super Bowls. ... T-5. New York Giants: 4 Super Bowl Wins. ... T-7. ... T-7.More items...•
Why did the Colts leave Baltimore?
But despite their on-field success, the Colts were struggling financially. In 1971, the team's owner, Robert Irsay, announced that the Colts would move to Indianapolis. The move was met with outrage in Baltimore, and the Colts could never recapture their success in their early years.
What football teams have been in Baltimore?
The region loves the game of professional football with an infinity for the game very early.Baltimore Orioles/Bluebirds: 1936-1937. ... Baltimore Colts I: 1947-1950. ... Baltimore Colts II: 1953-1984. ... Baltimore Stars: 1985. ... Baltimore Bombers (proposed): 1994. ... Baltimore Stallions: 1994-1995. ... Baltimore Ravens: 1996-present.More items...•
Why did the Colts leave Baltimore?
But despite their on-field success, the Colts were struggling financially. In 1971, the team's owner, Robert Irsay, announced that the Colts would move to Indianapolis. The move was met with outrage in Baltimore, and the Colts could never recapture their success in their early years.
What was the name of the original Baltimore football team?
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts....Baltimore ColtsOwner(s)Carroll Rosenbloom (1953–1972) Robert Irsay (1972–1983)20 more rows
Did the Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore?
The agreement explicitly stipulated that the Browns franchise, including its history, records and intellectual property, were to remain in Cleveland. In exchange, the NFL granted Modell a new franchise in Baltimore, which was eventually named the Ravens.
Where are the Baltimore Ravens?
M&T Bank Stadium (1998–present) The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its home games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Who is the founder of the Ravens?
In 1972, the Ravens wheelchair basketball team was founded by Ralph Smith, long-term resident of Baltimore, second Vice President of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) and Member of the NWBA Hall of Fame. The name "Ravens" was inspired by Bob Ardinger, a member of the Ravens wheelchair basketball team.
How many yards did the Ravens get in 2019?
The Ravens finished the 2019 regular season with 3,296 rushing yards, the most rushing yards by any team in NFL history during a season and they became the first team in NFL history to average at least 200 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game in the same season.
What is the Ravens basketball team?
In the 1990s, the naming rights were later sold to the football team when they came to the city and the wheelchair basketball team became known as the Maryland Ravens, Inc .
How many seasons did Jarret Johnson play for the Ravens?
Jarret Johnson spent nine seasons with the Ravens from 2003 to 2011. After beating the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 of the regular season, the Ravens advanced to the playoffs as the Number 2 seed in the AFC with a record of 12–4.
What is the Ravens poem?
The name "Ravens" was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe 's poem The Raven. Chosen in a fan contest that drew 33,288 voters, the allusion honors Poe who spent the early part of his career in Baltimore and is buried there. As The Baltimore Sun reported at the time, fans also "liked the tie-in with the other birds in town, the Orioles, and found it easy to visualize a tough, menacing black bird". Edgar Allan Poe also had distant relatives who played football for the Princeton Tigers in the 1880s through the early 1900s. These brothers were infamous players in the early days of American football.
What division is the Baltimore Ravens in?
The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division.
Who bought the Ravens?
03/27: NFL owners approved the sale of 49% of the Ravens to Anne Arundel County (MD) business executive Steve Bisciotti. In it, Bisciotti had an option to purchase the remaining 51% for $325 million in 2004.
Where did the Ravens play in the Hall of Fame?
8/2: For the first time in team history, the Ravens played in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game in Canton, OH... Baltimore bested the Bears, 17-16, just two nights prior to LB Ray Lewis' Hall of Fame induction.
How many games did the Ravens miss in 2004?
01/02: Finishing the 2004 season with a 9-7 record, the Ravens missed the playoffs for the 3rd time in 5 years. Baltimore produced a 6-2 mark at M&T Bank Stadium and a 3-5 record on the road. Injuries caused regular starters to miss 53 games, including the entire season for Pro Bowl OLB Peter Boulware. Other Pro Bowlers who missed considerable time included: TE Todd Heap (10), RB Jamal Lewis (4), LT Jonathan Ogden (4), and CB Deion Sanders (7). C Mike Flynn missed the 1st 7 games.
Where is the Ravens stadium?
09/06: The Ravens opened their new NFL Stadium in downtown Baltimore before a host of dignitaries, a packed house and the Steelers. The Ravens lost, 20-13.
Where is Ravens training camp?
03/18: The Ravens and Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) entered into a five-year agreement to hold training camp at the Westminster, MD campus.
Who is the Ravens head coach?
01/19: Brian Billick became the 2nd head coach in Baltimore Ravens history when he accepted a 6-year contract from owner Art Modell. Billick, the highly successful offensive coordinator for Minnesota, directed a Vikings' attack that set a variety of NFL and team records, including the league's all-time scoring mark of 556 points in 1998.
Who did the Ravens draft in 2000?
04/15: The Ravens went for offense in the 2000 NFL Draft, selecting Tennessee RB Jamal Lewis (5th overall), Florida WR Travis Taylor (10th overall), and Louisville QB Chris Redman (75th overall) with their 1st 3 picks.
All-Time Ravens
All of the team records from passing, interceptions, sacks and much more.
Ravens Legends & Hall of Famers
Players that have been inducted into the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor, presented by Meritage Jewelers, possess a rare combination of talent and characteristics that every member of the Ravens organizations strives to achieve and maintain.
What happened to the Browns when Art Modell moved to Baltimore?
Sort of. When Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore, the City of Cleveland sued. A part of the settlement was that the Ravens would, legally, be an expansion team, and all the Browns’ intellectual property would stay in Cleveland. Cleveland as part of the deal was guaranteed that the Browns would be “reactivated” by 1999.
Who was the owner of the Browns and Colts?
Neither team was “stolen”. Irsay was the Colt’s owner. Modell was the Brown’s owner. Each team owner grew weary of the old and somewhat dilapidated stadiums of operation. Each owner attempted to negotiate a facility upgrade and failed. Colt’s attendance in Baltimore had faltered significantly, primarily because of an inferior product provided by owner Irsay. Contrary to the sports media portrayals, teams moving in search of greener financial pastures was nothing new. It had been happening in many sports leagues for generations. The one important difference in the Colts and Browns moves involve
Did the Browns move to Baltimore?
Basically yes - the playing roster, front office and other staff that belonged to the old Browns outfit all followed team owner Art Modell in relocating to Baltimore after the 1995 season. Only a few of the coaching staff went though, as head coach Bill Belichick and most of his assistants were fired after losing six of their last seven games in Ohio following the move announcement and all the controversy that came with it (the team finishing 5–11).
Is the Browns fan friendly?
But Browns fans are a forgiving bunch.
Where did the Browns move to?
All the players and employees of the Browns, and their contracts, followed the team to Baltimore.
Who is the most forgiving fan?
Browns fans are the most forgiving people in the world. Since 1964, we have forgiven everything the Browns have failed to accomplish. We have understood the problem the team faced ever since one single gentleman entered the picture. Art Modell.
Who was the Browns' coach in 1996?
The old Browns staff & roster meanwhile formed what was officially an expansion team with a new name (the Ravens) for the 1996 season, with one-time Baltimore Colts coach Ted Marchibroda taking the reins from Belichick. They didn’t do much that first year (going 4–12) and wouldn’t have a winning season for rest of the decade. But in 2000, they went 12–4 with Brian Billick at the helm and won their first title - albeit with only two players from that last season in Cleveland (K Matt Stover and DT Larry Webster) [ 1] . They did however keep former Browns star TE Ozzie Newsome in their front office - he would help build that title-winning team and another in 2012 - he’s due to step down as general manager at the end of this current season after 16 years in the job.
Overview
Franchise history
The name "Ravens" was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven. Chosen in a fan contest that drew 33,288 voters, the allusion honors Poe who spent the early part of his career in Baltimore and is buried there. As The Baltimore Sun reported at the time, fans also "liked the tie-in with the other birds in town, the Orioles, and found it easy to visualize a tough, menacing black bird". Edgar Alla…
Rivalries
By far the team's biggest rival is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are separated by a less-than-5-hour drive along Interstate 70. Both teams are known for their hard-hitting physical style of play. They play twice a year in the AFC North, and have met four times in the playoffs. Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, 30–24, and holds a 3–1 advantage in the four matchups in t…
Logo controversy
The team's first helmet logo, used from 1996 through the 1999 Pro Bowl, featured raven wings outspread from a shield displaying a letter B framed by the word Ravens overhead and a cross bottony underneath. The US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict that the logo infringed on a copyright retained by Frederick E. Bouchat, an amateur artist and security guard in Maryland, but that he was entitled to only three dollars in damages from the NFL.
Uniforms
The design of the Ravens uniform has remained essentially unchanged since the team's inaugural season in 1996. Art Modell admitted to ESPN's Roy Firestone that the Ravens' colors, introduced in early 1996, were inspired by the Northwestern Wildcats 1995 dream season. Helmets are black with purple "talon" stripes rising from the facemask to the crown. Players normally wear purple jerseys at home and white jerseys on the road. In 1996 the team wore black pants with a single l…
Marching band
The team marching band is called Baltimore's Marching Ravens. They began as the Colts' marching band and have operated continuously from September 7, 1947, to the present. They helped campaign for football to return to Baltimore after the Colts moved. Because they stayed in Baltimore after the Colts left, the band is nicknamed "the band that would not die" and were the subject of an episode of ESPN's 30 for 30. The Washington Commanders are the only other NFL te…
First round draft picks
The team's first draft was the 1996 NFL Draft, where they selected UCLA offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden fourth overall and University of Miami linebacker Ray Lewis 24th overall. Both players won a Super Bowl with the team, earned numerous Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, and are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Along with their pick in the next year's draft, this was the highest first-round draft pick that the Ravens have had. In 1996, 2000, 2018 and 2020, the Ravens had tw…
Further reading
• Smith, Dean Bartoli (2013). Never Easy, Never Pretty: A Fan, A City, A Championship City. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1439911068. (available online)