Pro Football Hall of Famer, Baltimore Colts legend and former New England Patriots coach Raymond Berry died May 25 at age 93, his family announced through the Pro Football Hall of Fame. According to the family, Berry "died peacefully ... surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren."
Berry, who played end (essentially a receiver), spent his entire 13-year career (1955-67) with Baltimore, serving as Johnny Unitas' top target in an era when passing was far less prevalent than it is today. He finished his career with 631 receptions for 9,275 yards -- both NFL records at the time -- and 68 touchdowns.
He led the league in receptions for three straight seasons (1958-60) and receiving touchdowns in back-to-back years (1958-59). He was a five-time All-Pro (three first-team selections) and six-time Pro Bowler. He also earned spots on the Hall of Fame's 1950s All-Decade Team and, later, the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
He was a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 1973.
Berry's finest moment came, fittingly, in one of the greatest games in league history. In the 1958 NFL Championship Game, he caught 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown as the Colts beat the New York Giants, 23-17, in overtime. Berry's 12 catches stood as a championship-game record until 2014, when Demaryius Thomas had 13.
Later dubbed "The Greatest Game Ever Played," the contest played a massive role in the NFL's rise to prominence.
The Colts repeated as champions in 1959, and Berry contributed five receptions for 68 yards in another victory over the Giants.
After retiring as a player, Berry moved into coaching, serving as a wide receivers coach for the Dallas Cowboys, the University of Arkansas, the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Browns and the Patriots. He took over as New England's head coach midway through the 1984 season after Ron Meyer was fired.
In Berry's first full season at the helm, the Patriots went 11-5 and advanced to the Super Bowl, where they fell to the legendary 1985 Bears, 46-10. New England also went 11-5 the following season. Berry earned UPI Coach of the Year honors both years. He finished his five-and-a-half seasons as head coach with a 48-39 record.
Berry's rise remains one of the NFL's most unlikely stories. According to his Hall of Fame biography, he "had poor eyesight and wore a back brace to correct a misalignment in his spine" and needed special shoes because one leg was shorter than the other. He wasn't a starter in high school -- where he played for his father -- until his senior year, and he had a modest career at SMU before Baltimore selected him in the 20th round.
"People said Raymond Berry was not blessed with the size or speed of other receivers in the National Football League, but no one worked harder to refine his skills and master his craft," said Hall of Fame President and CEO Jim Porter. "The chemistry he developed with quarterback Johnny Unitas through hours of route-running and thousands of repetitions in practice created a dynamic tandem that thought with one mind on game days. Together they helped the Colts win consecutive titles in the late 1950s, including the classic 1958 NFL Championship Game that served as a springboard for professional football becoming this country's most popular sport.
"On top of that, there was no finer gentleman -- a person who remained humble and grounded when others sought to thrust stardom upon him."
