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 Baltimore
Ravens, professional football team and one of six teams in the
Central Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of
the National Football League (NFL). Under the league’s
realignment plan, which will take affect in 2002, the Ravens
will play in the North Division of the AFC. The Ravens play at
PSINet Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, and wear uniforms of
black, purple, and gold.
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The team is named after a poem entitled
“The Raven” (1845) by American writer
Edgar Allan Poe, who lived in Baltimore
during the 1830s. Baltimore was home to
the Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis
Colts) from 1953 through 1983. The
Ravens’ franchise was founded after the
1995 NFL season, when Arthur B. Modell,
owner of the Cleveland Browns, moved his
team from Cleveland, Ohio, to Baltimore
and renamed it the Ravens. (In 1999 a
new Browns franchise began play in
Cleveland.) Modell brought to Baltimore
a roster of veteran stars, including
quarterback Vinny Testaverde and running
back Earnest Byner. |
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He
also hired former Baltimore Colts head coach
Ted Marchibroda to lead the new Baltimore
team. Marchibroda had produced three
consecutive Eastern Division titles for the
Colts in the mid-1970s, but coaching the
Ravens proved difficult. Despite fielding a
potent offense, the franchise struggled
defensively and finished at the bottom of
the Central Division in 1996 and 1997.
Testaverde left following the 1997 season
and signed as a free agent with the New York
Jets. After finishing the 1998 season with 6
wins and 10 losses, the Ravens hired
Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator
Brian Billick as head coach. Through shrewd
draft picks and free agent signings, the
Ravens rebuilt their team around a standout
defense. The team was led by linebacker Ray
Lewis, who became one of the leading
tacklers and top defenders in the NFL. The
Ravens’ defense gave up a record-low 165
points during the 2000 season, then allowed
just 23 points in the postseason, including
a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in
Super Bowl XXXV.
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