Raymond Berry, Colts great and Patriots coach, dies at 93

Raymond Berry, the Baltimore Colts receiver whose precision routes helped transform the passing game and whose later coaching helped push the New England Patriots into their first Super Bowl, died May 25 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, at 93. Berry’s life traced two eras of the NFL, from the league’s pre-Super Bowl roots to the modern game built around timing, leverage and dependable hands.

Born Feb. 27, 1933, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Berry was drafted by the Colts in the 20th round of the 1954 NFL Draft and spent all 13 seasons of his career in Baltimore. He was selected to six Pro Bowls and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility as part of the Class of 1973. The Hall lists his career totals as 631 receptions, 9,275 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns in 154 regular-season games. The Colts retired his No. 82, and he was later named to the NFL 100 all-time team and the Baltimore Ravens’ Ring of Honor.

Berry’s statistical peak matched his reputation for precision. He led the NFL in receptions for three straight seasons from 1958 through 1960, in receiving yards in 1957, 1959 and 1960, and in touchdown catches in 1958 and 1959. His best season came in 1960, when he finished with 74 catches for 1,298 yards and 10 touchdowns.

His most celebrated game came in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, when Berry caught 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown as the Colts beat the New York Giants in the first sudden-death game in league history. Played at Yankee Stadium, the performance stood as the NFL championship-game record for 55 years. Berry and Johnny Unitas became one of the league’s great pass-catching duos, and Berry’s reliable hands and exact route-running became part of football lore as the sport’s national profile surged.

Berry later returned to the sideline, taking over as Patriots coach midway through the 1984 season. New England went 11-5 in 1985 and became the first NFL team to win three road playoff games on the way to Super Bowl XX against the Chicago Bears. Robert Kraft said Berry remains central to Patriots history, and recalled visiting Israel with Berry and Berry’s son Mark in 2015. The Colts called him one of the most influential figures in franchise history, while the Ravens said his impact on Baltimore and the league would endure. With Berry’s death, Lenny Moore became the last living Hall of Fame member of the Baltimore Colts.