PRESS RELEASE
CANTON, OHIO – Pro Football Hall of Famer Raymond Berry, a key player in
“The Greatest Game Ever Played,” died Monday, May 25, his family said. A member of
the Hall’s Class of 1973, he was 93.
Berry died peacefully at home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, surrounded by family
members, including his wife of 65 years, Sally. He also is survived by three children and
nine grandchildren. The family will hold private services.
The following is a statement from Hall of Fame President Jim Porter:
“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. 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.”
The Raymond Berry story is one of determination, dedication and desire.
Berry wore special shoes because one leg was shorter than the other. He didn’t become
a starter on his high school football team until his senior year – and his father coached
the team.
8
As an end for Southern Methodist, he caught all of 33 passes in three seasons. Why the
Baltimore Colts selected him, even as a “future choice” on the 20th round of the 1954
draft, was a mystery. A long shot to make the Colts, Berry was determined. He practiced and practiced, catching passes from anyone willing to throw to him. He concentrated on making the difficult catch and running perfect patterns.
Despite average speed, he developed, by his own count, 88 different moves to get
open. He ran patterns within inches of how they were diagramed. In 1956, Johnny Unitas became the Colts’ quarterback and Raymond was ready to put all his hours of practice to use. Together the two gave the Baltimore Colts one of the greatest pass-catch teams of all time.
Three consecutive years Berry led the league in receptions and caught a then-record
631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns in his 13-year career.
A first- or second-team All-Pro choice in 1957 through 1961 and again in 1965, he was
selected to play in six Pro Bowls. A sure-handed receiver, Raymond fumbled only once
in 13 years.
Perhaps his greatest moment came in the famous overtime 1958 NFL Championship
Game. He set a record (since surpassed) with 12 catches for 178 yards and a
touchdown. Several of his grabs came in the Colts’ life-or-death, last-minute drive to
the tying field goal. In the overtime period, two receptions for 33 yards were the major
gains in Baltimore’s drive toward Alan Ameche’s famous winning score.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame flag outside the museum will be flown at half-staff in his
honor.
