History of the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are one of the most successful teams in NFL history, having won two Super Bowls and three AFC championships. Founded in 1996, the Ravens have become a perennial league powerhouse with their physical football brand and strong defensive play. But before they became a dominant force on Sundays, much work was needed to get them off the ground.

In 1995, Art Modell decided to move his beloved Cleveland Browns franchise from Ohio to Maryland’s largest city - Baltimore. After months of negotiations between Modell and Maryland officials and legal wrangling with other owners throughout the league, it was finally announced that an expansion team would replace Modell's old team: The Baltimore Ravens were born!

Initially led by head coach Ted Marchibroda (who had coached under Bill Walsh at Stanford) and general manager Ozzie Newsome (the first African-American GM ever hired by an NFL franchise), the new organization set out on its mission for success through hard work and dedication. With their first draft pick being Hall Of Fame tackles Jonathan Ogden, they quickly established themselves as contenders within just two years after winning their division title during its inaugural season, including future Hall-of-Famer Ray Lewis making his debut into professional football.

In 2000 under new head coach Brian Billick, they captured Super Bowl XXXV over New York Giants 34–7 thanks mainly due to stellar defense led by LB Ray Lewis, who earned MVP honors for that game while posting 4 tackles & 1 interception return for a touchdown; this victory marked only second championship win since moving from Cleveland back in 1995 when they initially joined National Football League. Since then ravens have continued steady success reaching playoffs ten times since 2000, including four consecutive trips from 2008–2011, culminating in another super bowl appearance during the 2012 campaign, where unfortunately fell short against the San Francisco 49ers but still managed to reach the conference championship round yet again proving resilient nature this organization has been built upon these past twenty plus years!