The Flight Path of the Baltimore Ravens

After the Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, football was gone from Baltimore. In the middle of the night of March 28, 1984, they slunk out of the city like the grinch stealing presents on Christmas eve, leaving the fans stunned and angry. In the absence of football, under certain conditions you could still hear the faint thumping of a heartbeat in the city, echoing and beckoning for football to return. In 1995, it was announced that the Cleveland Browns would be moving to Baltimore for the 1996 season, and in early 1996, the NFL approved the move.  Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, football was back in Baltimore!

From 1996 to 1998 under head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Ravens were 16-31-1 and finished last or next to last in their division. In those 3 seasons they were outscored by their opponents each year. With starting quarterbacks of Vinny Testaverde and Jim Harbaugh during this time, a coaching change was needed and was coming soon.

For the 1999 season, Brian Billick stepped in as head coach and Tony Banks at quarterback. In year one came the first .500 season for the Ravens and a third-place finish. The Ravens were 80-64 under coach Billick, with 5 main starting quarterbacks over his 9 seasons: Tony Banks, Elvis Grbac, Jeff Blake, Kyle Boller and Steve McNair.

In 2008, John Harbaugh took over as head coach and has held that position to this day. Coach Harbaugh's record is 160 -100. The Ravens have only had 2 sub .500 seasons in the last 16 under coach Harbaugh. He has only had 2 main starting quarterbacks in Joe Flacco and 2-time league MVP Lamar Jackson, winning the prestigious award in 2019 (unanimous) and 2023.

Super Bowl Championships:
2000 and 2012

AFC Championships:
2000 and 2012

AFC North Division Championships:
2003, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2023

Ravens players in the Hall of Fame:
Devin Hester, Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Ed Reed, Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe, Rod Woodson.

OPOY:
2003 Jamal Lewis

DPOY:
2000 Ray Lewis
2003 Ray Lewis
2004 Ed Reed
2011 Terell Suggs

DROY:
1997 Pater Boulware
2003 Terrell Suggs

Steve Smith on being a Raven:
“When I think of a Baltimore Raven, what I think of is you go in there, we take your lunch box, we take your sandwich, we take your juice box, we take your applesauce and we take your spork and we break it. And we leave you with an empty lunch. That’s the Baltimore Raven way. That’s the bully way and that’s football.”

"In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore; Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; ...Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
-Edgar Allan Poe, 1845