How did the Baltimore Ravens get their name?
Having relocated his franchise from Cleveland, Ohio, to Baltimore, Maryland, there was no way Modell would retain the Cleveland Browns name. Of course, his team's name would have nothing to do with Cleveland.
Instead, it had to resonate with Baltimore. In the search for a name, the team's ownership resorted to involving fans. But before that, NFL Properties presented a list of at least 100 possible nicknames. From that list, the club executives trimmed it to 17 names.
Out of the 17 names, Focus groups in Baltimore were tasked with narrowing down the list further. They did their work and brought it to six. The club then did a telephone survey where 1,000 fans reduced the names to three, with the Ravens making the cut. Other names on the list were the Americans and the Marauders. To make the final decision, a total of 33,288 fans were invited to vote at this point, and on March 29, 1996, The Baltimore Sun conducted a phone-in poll. The Ravens came out on top with 21,108 votes. The Americans and Marauders came second and third with 5,597 and 5,583 votes, respectively.
The Name Ravens Was Derived from a Poem
It should be noted that the name Ravens did not just come out of the blues. It was derived from Edgar Allan Poe's poem, The Raven. Poe was a great American poet, writer, literary critic, and editor who lived between 1809 and 1849. Although he was born in Boston, Massachusetts, he lived and died in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was buried. And with his literary work well documented, Poe was and is still a great inspiration to the masses, so the team's name searchers could not have gone wrong. May his soul rest in peace!
The NFL Team, Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens is an American Football team that plays in the National Football League. It is based in Baltimore, Maryland, and competes in the American Football Conference North division, a competition it has won twice. The team owns a multi-purpose football stadium called M&T Bank Stadium, where its home matches are played. M&T Bank Stadium was opened in 1998 and boasts a whopping 71,008 capacity.
For a complete NFL game schedule, visit this page.
Foundation
The Baltimore Ravens was founded in 1996 by Art Modell, who owned the Cleveland Browns then. When Modell wanted to construct a new stadium that would help his team to stay financially afloat, Cleveland city officials refused to approve the project. This angered him, resulting in the announcement of plans to relocate his team (the Cleveland Browns) from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1995.
Modell's plans would come at a cost. As part of the agreement between Cleveland city and the league, he was allowed to leave on the condition that his team leaves behind its history, records, and colors. That means he was to start building a new team from scratch once he arrived in Baltimore. As a result, the Baltimore Ravens were born on February 9, 1996.
Baltimore Ravens game schedule, click here.
Author: Dan Anderson