Pro Football Hall of Famer Raymond Berry, one of the most reliable receivers in NFL history and a key figure in the rise of the modern passing game, has died.
He was 93.
Berry’s family said in a statement released through the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he died peacefully at home on May 25 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, surrounded by family.
Berry spent all 13 seasons of his NFL playing career with the Baltimore Colts, where he became famous for his precise routes, steady hands and unforgettable connection with quarterback Johnny Unitas.
He was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and led the league three times in both catches and receiving yards. He also led the NFL twice in touchdown receptions.
His No. 82 was retired by the Colts, and he was later named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Berry is also honored in the Baltimore Ravens’ Ring of Honor.
“Simply put, not only was Raymond Berry one [of] the greatest players in the history of the Colts, but he was one of the most influential and foundational players of the modern NFL,” Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said in a statement.
The Ravens also paid tribute to Berry, calling him “a football icon” and saying his impact on Baltimore sports and the NFL “will endure forever.”
Berry may be best remembered for his unforgettable performance in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, often called “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
In that historic matchup, Berry caught 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown as the Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in the first sudden-death overtime game in NFL history.
His 12 catches stood as a championship game record until 2014.
The game is widely credited with helping launch the NFL into a new era of national popularity, and Berry was one of its defining stars.
He won another NFL championship with the Colts the following season. In 1959, he led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, becoming one of only a handful of players to lead all three categories outright in the same season.
Berry’s numbers were especially impressive because he played in an era when teams passed far less than they do today.
In 1960, during a 12-game season, he caught 74 passes for 1,298 yards. That same year, only three other NFL players had more than 50 receptions.
Berry was not expected to become a superstar when he entered the league. The Colts selected him as a future choice in the 20th round of the 1954 NFL Draft after he caught just 33 passes in three seasons at SMU.
But he became one of the best receivers the sport had ever seen.
By the time he retired after the 1967 season, Berry held the NFL record with 631 career receptions. He finished with 9,275 receiving yards, 68 touchdowns and only one fumble, a remarkable detail that reflected his reputation for near-perfect ball security.
“Luck is something which happens when preparation meets opportunity,” Berry once said. “One play may make the difference in winning or losing a game. I must be prepared to make my own luck.”
After his playing career, Berry spent years coaching at both the college and NFL levels.
He later became head coach of the New England Patriots in 1984 after previously serving as an assistant. Just one season later, he led the wild-card Patriots on a stunning playoff run to Super Bowl XX.
New England lost that game to the Chicago Bears, but the appearance marked the first Super Bowl trip in Patriots franchise history.
“Raymond Berry holds a special place in Patriots history,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement.
Kraft said Berry led the team to “the greatest achievement in team history at the time” and remembered him as humble, faithful, kind and deeply respected.
“I was fortunate to get to know Raymond over the years,” Kraft said, recalling a 2015 trip to Israel with Berry, his son Mark and several other Hall of Famers.
Berry coached the Patriots through the 1989 season and finished with a 48-39 record, including an AFC title.
Looking back in a 2008 interview with ESPN, Berry said his years in New England meant a great deal to him.
“It was a great six years for me,” Berry said. “I had some really great players, and you really enjoy coaching talent like that.”
He added that Patriots fans still approached him years later to talk about that era.
“Nice to have satisfied customers,” he said.
From his championship days in Baltimore to his Super Bowl run in New England, Raymond Berry left a legacy built on preparation, precision and quiet greatness.
He was one of the game’s most dependable receivers, one of its most respected coaches and a lasting figure in NFL history.