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Raymond Berry
NFL Legend |
11/1/11On Wednesday, November 16, 2011, Randolph-Macon College will host Pro Football Hall of Famer Raymond Berry
at 7:00 p.m. in R-MC’s Crenshaw Gymnasium. Berry was a member of the Johnny Unitas-led 1958 Baltimore Colts team that won the NFL Championship. His visit is sponsored by the BB&T Moral Foundations of Capitalism Program.
This event is free and open to the public.
General admission tickets will be available at the door. Berry will present
Preparing for Life: Ethics for the Greatest Game Ever! and will describe the relationships and professional preparation that led to his success on and off the football field.
The public is also invited to an earlier discussion at 11:30 a.m. in the sanctuary of Duncan Memorial Methodist Church, where Berry will discuss the importance of faith and ethics.
“I’m looking forward to meeting members of the Randolph-Macon and surrounding communities,” said Berry, “and sharing those moments that inspired me during challenging times in my life. I think success, ethics and faith go hand-in-hand and I feel privileged to have opportunities to spread that message with all people of all ages.”
Raymond Berry was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 1954 NFL draft. He played 13-years as a wide receiver, leading the league three times in receptions and catching a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns. Berry was widely known for his attention to detail and preparation. He only fumbled once in 13 years and was selected to play in six Pro Bowl games.
Greatest Game Ever Played
One of Berry's most notable performances was in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played." He set a then-record with 12 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown. During what was called the Colts' life-or-death, last minute drive, Berry caught three consecutive passes for 62 yards to set up the Colts tying field goal at the end of regulation. The historic game, against the New York Giants, marked the first time that a NFL playoff game went into overtime. Berry helped lead the Colts to victory with two receptions for 33 yards. Historians note that this game changed the popularity of the NFL and propelled it to become the favorite sport to watch in the United States.
NFL Coaching Career
Berry ended his playing career in 1967 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973. He returned to the NFL as a receivers’ coach for the New England Patriots from 1978-1981 and was rehired in 1984 as head coach of the struggling team. The next season, the Patriots recorded an 11-5 record and made 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 three playoff games on the road. Unfortunately, they were defeated in the 1985 Super Bowl game by the Chicago Bears. In 1986, the Patriots made it to the playoffs again, but were defeated in the first round. Berry was released as head coach of the Patriots in 1989. His overall coaching record is 48 wins and 39 losses, and 3-2 in the playoffs.
BB&T Moral Foundations of Capitalism Program
Randolph-Macon College received a $500,000 grant from the BB&T Charitable Foundation to expand the study of ethics, economics and capitalism through a broadened curriculum, faculty and student research, internships and one-on-one interaction with business leaders.
BB&T Corporation is the 10th largest financial services holding company headquartered in the United States with $152.4 billion in assets. Its bank subsidiaries operate approximately 1,500 financial centers in the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Indiana and Washington, D.C. BB&T annual charitable contributions totaled nearly $20 million in 2008.
For more information on this event or the BB&T Moral Foundations of Capitalism Program, please contact Pam Harris Cox at (804) 752-3712, pamelacox@rmc.edu or Anne Marie Lauranzon at (804) 752-7317, alauranz@rmc.edu.