When the Colts were based in Baltimore (and often at the top of the NFL), Raymond Berry was a fixture and arguably the best receiver in the game at that time.
Quiet and reserved in demeanor, Berry’s crowd was loud; by the time he finished his playing career in 1967, he was the league’s all-time leader in receiving yards and was headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Colts legend, two-time NFL champion and former New England Patriots head coach Berry died May 25 at the age of 93, the Hall of Fame announced Monday.
Led by Johnny Unitas, Berry was often on the other end of one of the first and best QB-WR combos in the NFL. Following his playing career, Berry became the head coach of the New England Patriots for six seasons and guided them to their first Super Bowl appearance.
In 13 seasons with the Colts, Berry was a six-time Pro Bowler who led the league in receptions and receiving yards three times. That added up to 631 receptions, 9,725 yards and 68 touchdowns. A member of the Pro League Hall of Fame in 1973, Berry was also a three-time All-Pro, a member of the Hall of Fame’s All-1950s team and a member of the NFL’s All-Time 75th and 100th Anniversary Teams.
An elegant runner with sure hands, he overcame poor eyesight, was a step slow and needed a back brace to turn around in an amazing career that was tinged with statistical pomposity at the time.
From 1956-1966, Berry produced at least 600 receiving yards each season, and from 1957-1966, he had at least 40 catches each year.
Berry’s remarkable career is all the more remarkable given how unlikely it was that he even made it to the NFL. Berry, who had just 33 catches in three varsity seasons at Southern Methodist, was a lanky, 6-foot-2, 187-pounder who was slow on the move and was highly likely to make the Colts’ roster after the club took him in the 20th round of the 1954 NFL Draft. It was all apart from the fact that he had to deal with a back brace and special shoes because one leg was shorter than the other due to a wrong position in his back.
Just as he always seems to have found a way to get open with his dazzling route running, Berry, a marvel of fundamental excellence who fumbled just once in his 13 seasons, found a way to become a Hall of Fame talent.
He and Unitas, who combined for 63 touchdowns, were a formidable duo that led the Colts to an NFL championship.