Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are widely considered as the best run franchise in football. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League (NFL). The team's name is a reference to the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, who lived and worked in Baltimore at various points during his life and is buried in the city.
The Baltimore Ravens originated in the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy in 1995. Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his intention to relocate the team to Baltimore, a move which resulted in legal action. Following the legal action, a unique compromise was struck: Modell would keep the Browns' existing player and staff contracts, but his team officially would be a new franchise. The Browns' name, history, and archives would stay in Cleveland, and a new Browns team would begin play in 1999 after a three-year period of "deactivation". Modell's team was named the "Baltimore Ravens" after a fan contest and began play in the 1996 season.
The Ravens' triumph over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV at the conclusion of the 2000 season remains their best season. The Ravens are currently one of only four teams to win in their lone Super Bowl appearance, along with the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
