Raymond Berry

At 91 years old, Raymond Berry has this physical status:

Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is a former American football player and mentor in the National Football League (NFL).

He served as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assistant coaching positions, he was the head coach of the New England Patriots from 1984 to 1989.

Berry, a Colt, led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards three times, as well as receiving touchdowns twice, and was awarded three times. He was also invited to six Pro Bowls.

Berry and the Colts have won consecutive NFL championships, including the 1958 NFL Championship Game, nicknamed "The Greatest Game Ever Played," in which Berry had 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown.

As a head coach, he led the Patriots to Super Bowl XX in 1985, where his team was defeated by the Chicago Bears, 46–10. Berry was drafted in the 20th round of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Colts and was considered a long shot to even make the team's roster after receiving very few passes in high school and college.

His subsequent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame has been dubbed one of American football's Cinderella tales, diminutive and unassuming.

He made up for his athleticism by intense training and careful attention to detail, and he was known for his near-perfect route running and sure handedness.

Berry was a favorite of quarterback Johnny Unitas, and the two were regarded as the best passing and receiving pair of their day. Berry also worked with wide receivers for the Dallas Cowboys, the University of Arkansas, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Patriots during his playing career.

He joined the Patriots as head coach in 1984 and spent the remainder of his tenure as a head coach through 1989, winning 48 games and 39 losses.

Berry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 in honor of his play career.

He is a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team as one of the best players of the NFL's first 75 years.

The Indianapolis Colts have retired his number 82 jersey, and he is a member of the 1980s All-Decade Patriots.

Early life and college

Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 27, 1933, and spent the majority of his childhood in Paris, Texas. Berry obtained very few passes at Paris High School and College. Despite the fact that his father, Berry Sr., was the mentor, he did not start his high school team until he was a senior. Berry played one year of junior college football at Shreiner Institute (now Schreiner University) in Kerrville, Texas, during the 1950 campaign. With a record of 7–3, the Mountaineers completed their most productive season in ten years. He then matriculated to Southern Methodist University (SMU). Berry has only passed for 33 passes in three seasons for the SMU Mustangs football team. Sportswriters attributed his lack of receptions to his poor eyesight, but running programs developed in the early 1950s. "I didn't get many passes because not many were given," Berry said. Despite being weighing only 180 pounds (82 kg) or more by his senior year, he continued to play outside the Mustangs' linebacker and defensive ends.

Personal life

Berry, a professed Christian and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His faith is viewed as a "significant piece" of his life. He and his wife, Margaret, live in Tennessee as of 2009. Berry carried the Vince Lombardi Trophy to midfield on February 5, 2012, the New York Giants' new England Patriots defeated the New England Patriots. He was given the award because of the football played at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home stadium of his former team, the Colts, who had migrated to Indianapolis in 1984.

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Professional playing career

Berry was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 20th round as the 203rd overall pick of the 1954 NFL Draft. He was used sparingly as a rookie, receiving only 13 passes in a long shot to make the team roster, and was considered a long shot to make the team roster. When the Colts acquired quarterback Johnny Unitas during his second NFL season, he became a permanent starter. The two players became one of the most popular passing and catching pairings in NFL history over the next 12 seasons together. Berry, who did not miss a single game until his eighth season in the league, led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards three times, as well as receiving touchdowns twice.

Berry led the NFL in receiving yards for the first time in 1957 after he passed for 800 yards and six touchdowns. Unitas connected with Berry on 12 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns against the Washington Redskins this year, a "spectacular spectacle" at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He was named by The Sporting News as a first-team All-Pro and was given second-team recognition by the Associated Press (AP). He had 794 passing yards and led the league with 56 receptions and nine touchdowns in the 2012 season. Berry was invited to his first Pro Bowl by the AP and several other top pickers, and he was named first-team All-Pro. In the NFL Championship Game, the Colts finished ninth in the Western Division with a record of 9-3, and they met the New York Giants.

Berry was one of his finest appearances in the Colts' 23-17 victory over the Giants in 1958, known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played," in which he led the Colts to their first title and a touchdown. He caught three straight passes for 62 yards to set up the Colts' tying field goal at the end of regulation. During the Colts' last game-winning drive in overtime, he had two key receptions for 33 yards. His 12 receptions would be a franchise game record for more than a decade, top one by Demaryius Thomas in Super Bowl XLVIII after the 2013 season.

In 1959, Berry led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, becoming the fourth player to ever record a "triple crown" in receiving. His 14 touchdowns set a Colts single-season franchise record that hadn't been tied for more than four decades. He was invited to his second straight Pro Bowl and received first-team All-Pro accolades from the AP, UPI, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and the New York Daily News. In an encore with the Giants, the Colts won back-to-back championships, 31–16. Berry caught five passes for 68 yards, second on the team behind halfback Lenny Moore's 126 yards on three plays.

Berry, 60, had his first 1,000-yard game in 1960, catching 74 passes en route to career highs in receiving yards (1,298) and receiving yards per game (108.2). Every one of those figures led the NFL by a wide margin; no other player had more than 1,000 yards; and the next best yards-per-game average was 81.0. He had a string of six straight games with over 100 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions. Berry was a Pro Bowl invitee again, and he received first-team All-Pro honors from all the same selectors this year, including unanimous All-Pro recognition by UPI sportswriters.

Berry did not have the same statistical success over the previous seven years as he did, but Unitas were still a consistent threat. His 75 receptions in the 1961 season were second-most in the league, and he finished 10th in receiving yards but not a touchdown for the first time since his rookie year. On a 16-yard reception from Unitas in the first quarter, he scored his first touchdown of the 1962 Pro Bowl. His streak of Pro Bowl invitations came to an end at four, but the former made his comeback in 1963 and 1964, the latter being his final. The Colts returned to the postseason in 1964, where they were defeated 27–0 by the Cleveland Browns in the 1964 championship game.

Berry missed half of the 1967 season due to injuries and only 11 passes for 167 yards in successive seasons, with seven touchdowns in 1965 and 1966. He revealed his retirement just after the season's end. He finished his pro playing career with 631 passes for 9,275 yards (14.7 yards per catch) and 68 touchdowns. He held the NFL's most receptions and receiving yards at the time, and his receiving touchdowns were tied for fourth most with Don Maynard.

Coaching career

Berry joined Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys coaching staff as a receivers coach after retiring from playing. Berry joined Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas in 1970 as a receivers coach. Don McCafferty, the Detroit Lions' receivers coach, joined Berry in 1973 as his receivers coach. Berry joined Forrest Gregg, a former SMU teammate, as his receivers coach with the Cleveland Browns in 1976. During Chuck Fairbanks' time as receivers coach, Berry joined the New England Patriots in 1978. He was with new coach Ron Erhardt until Erhardt and his entire staff were fired following a 2–14 1981 strike. Berry played football and spent time in Medfield, Massachusetts, until the Patriots fired Ron Meyer in the middle of the 1984 season and hired Berry to replace him. The Patriots won four of their last eight games and finished the season with a 9-7 record under his leadership. Berry's contribution to the team was less in his first victory-loss record than in the respect he quickly earned in the locker room, according to running back Tony Collins, "Raymond Berry earned more reverence in one day than Ron Meyer earned in three years."

The team improved even more in 1985, ending with an 11-5 record and making the playoffs as a wild card team. The Los Angeles Thunderbirds defeated the New York Jets 26-14 (the second postseason victory in franchise history), beating the Los Angeles Cowboys 27–14, and the Miami Dolphins 31–14. It was the first time the Patriots had defeated the Dolphins at the Orange Bowl (Miami's then-home stadium), and it was Miami's first season as a franchise. There had been 18 straight losses to the Dolphins, including a 30–27 loss in Week 15 of the regular season. Despite their success in the playoffs, the Patriots were strong underdogs to the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. They lost 46–10 in what was the most lopsided loss in Super Bowl history at the time. "We couldn't protect the quarterback," the captain said, and it was my fault." Berry admitted that I couldn't come up with a system to deal with the Bears' pass rush.

The Patriots' 2011 record set in 2011 and the playoffs, this time after winning their second division title as an NFL team. However, the team lost in the first round of the postseason. It would be Berry's last postseason appearance in New England, and the Patriots' last playoff appearance since 1994. They barely escaped the playoffs in 1987 (a strike-shortened season) and 1989, when quarterback Doug Flutie went 6-3 as a starter. Nevertheless, Berry suspended Flutie in the season's finale against the Denver Broncos until the final seconds. The Patriots lost 21-10 and Flutie left for the CFL less than two years later. The Patriots finished the 1989 season 5–11, with Berry as a coach. Victor Kiam, the majority owner of the New Patriots, has requested that Berry relinquish power over employees and reorganize his staff; Berry refused and was fired; Berry refused. His regular-season coaching record was 48–39 (.552), and he was 3–2 (.600) in the playoffs.

Berry came from Wayne Fontes' staff with the Detroit Lions in 1991 as their quarterbacks coach, and then continued to the same position with Dan Reeves' staff with the Denver Broncos the following season. Since that season, Reeves, as well as his entire coaching staff, were fired.

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