BRBaltimore Ravens

Franchise history

The Baltimore Ravens franchise began play in 1996, but its origin requires an important clarification: it is not a continuation of the original Cleveland Browns' history. In November 1995, Browns owner Art Modell announced he was moving the team to Baltimore, citing financial strain and the city of Cleveland's refusal to fund stadium upgrades — a decision made more bitter when Cleveland voters approved stadium-funding taxes the very next day. Facing lawsuits from the city and season-ticket holders, the NFL brokered a settlement in February 1996 stipulating that the Browns' name, colors, and all franchise history and records would remain the property of Cleveland, to be revived as an active expansion team by 1999. Modell was permitted to take his roster, coaching staff, and front office to Baltimore, but under NFL rules this became a brand-new franchise with no official claim to Browns history — the Ravens' organizational history begins in 1996.

Baltimore's ownership held a naming contest and settled on "Ravens," honoring Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem "The Raven," written while Poe lived in Baltimore. The team wore purple, black, and metallic gold and played at Memorial Stadium in 1996 before moving into M&T Bank Stadium (originally Ravens Stadium) in 1998.

Under Modell and later Steve Bisciotti, who purchased majority ownership in 2004, the Ravens built a reputation on dominant defenses. Led by linebacker Ray Lewis, Baltimore won Super Bowl XXXV following the 2000 season behind a historically stingy defense, and won Super Bowl XLVII after the 2012 season under quarterback Joe Flacco, defeating San Francisco in a game marked by a Superdome power outage. A fierce rivalry with the reactivated Cleveland Browns, and later the Pittsburgh Steelers, has defined the AFC North era.

Sources

• Pro Football Reference
• Wikipedia
• Baltimore Ravens Official Site

Super Bowl Champions won (2)

• Super Bowl XXXV - 2000
• Super Bowl XLVII - 2012