Raymond Berry

Infobox NFLretired


|caption=
position=Wide Receiver
number=82
birthdate=birth date and age|1933|2|27
Corpus Christi, Texas
debutyear=1955
finalyear=1967
draftyear=1954
draftround=20
draftpick=232
college=SMU
teams=As Player
* Baltimore Colts (1955-1967)As Head Coach
* New England Patriots (1984-1989)
stat1label=Receptions
stat1value=631
stat2label=Receiving Yards
stat2value=9,275
stat3label=Touchdowns
stat3value=68
nfl=BER604040
highlights=
* 6x Pro Bowl selection (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964)
* 6x All-Pro selection (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1965)
* NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
* NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
* Baltimore Colts #82 retired
HOF=25
CollegeHOF=

Raymond Emmett Berry (born February 27, 1933 in Corpus Christi, Texas) was an American football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

NFL career

Berry, who played with special shoes because one of his legs was shorter than the other, was beset with poor eyesight and had less-than-blazing speed, seemed an unlikely future star prior to his NFL career. He didn't start on his high-school team until he was a senior, even though his father was the coach. Berry went on to catch only 33 passes in his three seasons at Southern Methodist University before being selected by the Colts in the 20th round of the 1954 NFL draft.

However, Berry became a permanent starter on the team by his second NFL season, and didn't miss a single game until his eighth year in the league. During his career, he led the NFL in receptions three times, and was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, from 1957-61 and in 1965. He also made the all-NFL team from 1958-1960. Berry was considered the very identity of the great Colts' teams of the 1950s and 1960s (along with Johnny Unitas, Alan Ameche, Lenny Moore, John Mackey, Gino Marchetti, Art Donovan and Jim Parker).He was famous for his attention to detail and preparation. He and quarterback John Unitas regularly worked after practice and developed the timing and knowledge of each other's abilities that made each more effective. In addition to his great record as a pass receiver, Berry's dedication to his craft is demonstrated by the fact that, in a 13-year career, he fumbled the football only once.

One of Berry's most notable performances was in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played," in which he caught a championship-record 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. During the Colts' final game-winning drive in overtime, Berry had two key receptions for 33 yards.

Raymond Berry ended his NFL career in 1967 with an NFL record 631 receptions for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns (14.7 yards per catch). In 1973, Berry was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In 1999, he was ranked No. 40 on "The Sporting News"' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Coaching career

Berry joined the New England Patriots as receivers coach under Chuck Fairbanks in 1978. He stayed on with new coach Ron Erhardt until Erhardt and his entire staff were fired following a 2-14 1981 season. Berry left football and worked in the private sector in Medfield, MA until the Patriots fired Ron Meyer in the middle of the 1984 season and hired Berry to replace him. Under his leadership, the Patriots won 4 of their last 8 games and finished the season with an 9-7 record. Berry's importance to the team was reflected less in his initial win-loss record than in the respect he immediately earned in the locker room - "Raymond Berry earned more respect in one day than Ron Meyer earned in three years," according to running back Tony Collins. [Quoted in Tales From The Patriots Sideline (Illinois:Sports Publishing LLC, 2006) by Michael Felger, p. 76]

In the 1985 season, the team did even better, recording an 11-5 record and making the playoffs as a wildcard team. They went on to become the first team in NFL history ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning 3 playoff games on the road, defeating New York Jets 26-14, the Los Angeles Raiders, 27-20, and the Miami Dolphins 31-14. New England's win against Miami was particularly surprising because the Patriots had not beaten the Dolphins at the Orange Bowl (Miami's then home stadium) since 1966, in Miami's first AFL season. The Patriots had lost to the Dolphins there 18 consecutive times, including a 30-27 loss in week 15 of the regular season. In addition, the Dolphins had recorded an AFC best 12-4 record and had been the only team during the season to defeat the Chicago Bears, who had stormed to the top of the NFC with a 15-1 record and advanced to the Super Bowl by shutting out both their opponents in the playoffs.

But despite the Patriots success in the playoffs, they proved unable to compete with the Bears in Super Bowl XX, losing 46-10 in what was at the time the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history. "We couldn't protect the quarterback, and that was my fault. I couldn't come up with a system to handle the Bears' pass rush," Berry acknowledged. [Tales From The Patriots Sideline, p. 80]

The following season, Berry's Patriots again recorded an 11-5 record and made the playoffs, but this time lost in the first round of the postseason. This would be the last time the Patriots would make the playoffs with Berry as their coach. They narrowly missed the playoffs with an 8-7(during a strike shortened season) record in 1987, and a 9-7 record in 1988. Then in Berry's last year as a coach, the Patriots finished the 1989 season 5-11. New Patriots team owner Victor Kiam demanded Berry relinquish control over personnel and reorganize his staff. Berry refused and was fired.

Berry's overall coaching record is 48 wins and 39 losses, and 3-2 in the playoffs.

Berry now lives a quiet life in Murfreesboro, Tennessee with his wife.

References

External links

*"Pro Football Hall of Fame:" [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=25 Member profile]
*pro-football-reference|id=BerrRa00|name=Raymond Berry
* [http://www.footballcardgallery.com/player/Raymond+Berry Football cards]
* [http://members.aol.com/rich953908/colts.html Most updated Baltimore Colts site]