History of the Baltimore Ravens This article details the history of the Baltimore Ravens , a professional American football team which plays in the National Football League . Origins . On November 6 , 1995 , then Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced his intention to move the team to Baltimore , citing the inadequacy of Cleveland Stadium and the lack of a sufficient replacement along with his heavy debt . The decision triggered a flurry of legal activity that ended when representatives of Cleveland and the NFL reached a settlement on February 8 , 1996 . It stipulated that the Browns ' name , colors , and history of the franchise were to remain in Cleveland , including past records and the attribution of its Pro Football Hall of Fame players . A reactivated Cleveland Browns team would then begin play in 1999 , while Modell ' s relocated club would technically and legally be a " new franchise , " and an expansion team , the Ravens . The CFL team , the Baltimore Stallions , had proved such a success and the fans showed up in droves to prove they deserved an NFL franchise . This caught the attention of Modell . After relocating his franchise , retaining the current contracts of former Browns players and personnel as per the agreement made by the city of Cleveland and the NFL , owner Art Modell hired Ted Marchibroda as head coach , who had previous experience with the Baltimore Colts during the 1970s and the Indianapolis Colts during the early 1990s . Ozzie Newsome , the Browns tight end for many seasons , joined Modell in Baltimore as director of football operations . He was later promoted to Vice President / General Manager . Focus groups , a telephone survey , and a fan contest were all held to help select a name for the new franchise . Team management started with a list of 17 names from an original list of more than 100 . From there , focus groups of a total of 200 Baltimore area residents reduced the list of names to six , and then a phone survey of 1000 people trimmed it down to three , Marauders , Americans , and Ravens . Finally , a fan contest drawing 33 , 288 voters picked " Ravens , " a name that alludes to the famous poem , " The Raven " , by Edgar Allan Poe , who spent the early part of his career in Baltimore , and is also buried there . When Modell moved to Baltimore , the team brought along players such as Anthony Pleasant , Vinny Testaverde , Matt Stover , Eric Turner and Rob Burnett . Due to continual financial hardships , the NFL directed Modell to initiate the sale of his franchise . On March 27 , 2000 , NFL owners approved the sale of 49 % of the Ravens to Steve Bisciotti . In the deal , Bisciotti had an option to purchase the remaining 51 % for $ 325 million in 2004 from Art Modell . On April 9 , 2004 the NFL approved Bisciotti ' s purchase of the majority stake in the club . 1996 season . The 1996 season was the inaugural season of the Baltimore Ravens , and the first time a regular season NFL game was hosted at Memorial Stadium in 13 years . They won their first game at home against the Oakland Raiders , but lost the next two against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Oilers . After their bye week , they beat the New Orleans Saints at home with a score of 17 – 10 , but were not able to beat the New England Patriots in the following game . On October 26 they faced the former team in Baltimore , the Indianapolis Colts , but lost 26 – 21 . Two weeks later they won against the St . Louis Rams in an overtime victory . They were not able to repeat this mostly for the remainder of the season , but managed to win against Pittsburgh in Week 14 . They ended their season with a record of 4 – 12 . Even though they did not have a winning season , quarterback Vinny Testaverde was voted into the Pro Bowl , and wide receivers Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander surpassed the 1 , 000 yard receiving mark . 1997 season . In 1997 , the team played their final season at Memorial Stadium . They lost their first game at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars by one point , then won the next three games against the Cincinnati Bengals , New York Giants and Tennessee Oilers . They then lost their next two games against the San Diego Chargers and their division rivals , the Steelers . After their bye week , they won only one out of the next four games , and lost one in overtime . One November 19 they played against the Philadelphia Eagles , holding them to a 10 – 10 tie . They lost their next two games , then won two , and ended the season with a home loss to the Bengals , ending with a record of 6 – 9 – 1 , the lowest in their division . Peter Boulware , with 11 . 5 sacks , was named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year . 1998 season . Baltimore began the season by moving into their new stadium Ravens Stadium ( eventually the stadium would be called PSINet Stadium and later M & T Bank Stadium ) . Testaverde , who had left for the New York Jets , was replaced by Eric Zeier , and later , former Indianapolis Colt Jim Harbaugh . Defensive back Rod Woodson joined the team after a successful stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers , and Priest Holmes started getting the first playing time of his career and ran for 1 , 000 yards , but the Ravens finished with a 6 – 10 record . After three consecutive losing seasons , Marchibroda was succeeded by Brian Billick , who had served as the offensive coordinator for the record setting offense of the Minnesota Vikings the season before . 1999 season . In the 1999 season , with a newly renamed stadium , PSINet Stadium ( now M & T Bank Stadium ) , Baltimore showed a marked improvement . Quarterback Tony Banks came to Baltimore from the St . Louis Rams and had the best season of his career with 17 touchdown passes and an 81 . 2 pass rating . He was joined by receiver Qadry Ismail , who posted a 1 , 000 - yard season . The Ravens struggled early , starting 3 – 6 ; but rattled off four consecutive wins to put themselves in playoff contention . A loss in the final week sent them home early with an 8 – 8 record . 2000 season — Super Bowl champions . Banks shared playing time in the 2000 regular season with Trent Dilfer . Both players put up decent numbers ( and a 1 , 364 - yard rushing season by rookie Jamal Lewis helped too ) but the defense became the team ' s hallmark and bailed a struggling offense out in many instances through the season . Ray Lewis was named Defensive Player of the Year . Two of his defensive teammates , Sam Adams and Rod Woodson , made the Pro Bowl . Baltimore ' s season started strong with a 5 – 1 record . But the team struggled through mid - season , at one point going five games without scoring an offensive touchdown . The team regrouped and won each of their last seven games , finishing 12 – 4 and making the playoffs for the first time . During the 2000 season , the Ravens defense broke two notable NFL records . They held opposing teams to 165 total points , surpassing the 1985 Chicago Bears mark of 198 points for a 16 - game season well as surpassing the 1986 Chicago Bears mark of 187 points for a 16 game season , which at that time was the current NFL record . Since the divisional rival Tennessee Titans had a record of 13 – 3 , the Ravens had to play in the wild card round . They dominated the Denver Broncos 21 – 3 in their first game . In the divisional playoff , they went on the road to Tennessee . With the score tied 10 – 10 in the fourth quarter , an Al Del Greco field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Anthony Mitchell , and a Ray Lewis interception return for a score put the game squarely in Baltimore ' s favor . The 24 – 10 win put the Ravens in the AFC Championship against the Oakland Raiders . The game was rarely in doubt . Shannon Sharpe ' s 96 - yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter followed by an injury to Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon were crucial as the Ravens won easily , 16 – 3 . Baltimore then went to Tampa for Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants . The game was also dominated by the Ravens . They recorded four sacks and forced five turnovers , one of which was a Kerry Collins interception returned for a touchdown by Duane Starks . The Giants ' only score was a Ron Dixon kickoff return for another touchdown ; however , the Ravens immediately countered with a return by Jermaine Lewis . The Ravens became champions with a 34 – 7 win , becoming only the third wild card team to win a Super Bowl championship . 2001 season . In 2001 , the Ravens attempted to defend their title with a new quarterback , Elvis Grbac , but an injury to Jamal Lewis and poor offensive performance stymied the team . After a 3 – 3 start , the Ravens defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the final week to clinch a wild card berth at 10 – 6 . In the first round the Ravens showed flashes of their previous year with a 20 – 3 blowout over the Miami Dolphins , in which the team forced three turnovers and outgained the Dolphins 347 yards to 151 . In the divisional playoff the Ravens played the Pittsburgh Steelers . Three interceptions by Grbac ended the Ravens ' season , as they lost 27 – 10 . 2002 season . Baltimore ran into salary cap problems in 2002 and was forced to cut several players , including Sam Adams , Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe . The Ravens replaced Woodson by drafting safety Ed Reed in the first round . Longtime backup QB Chris Redman took over behind center . The Ravens stayed somewhat competitive , before a December slide cost them a playoff spot with a 7 – 9 final record . 2003 season . In 2003 , the Ravens drafted their new quarterback , Kyle Boller , but he was injured midway through the season and was replaced by Anthony Wright . Jamal Lewis ran for 2 , 066 yards ( including a record 295 yards in one game against the Cleveland Browns on September 14 ) . With a 10 – 6 record , Baltimore won their first AFC North division title . Their first playoff game , at home against the Tennessee Titans , went back and forth , with the Ravens being held to only 54 yards total rushing . The Titans won 20 – 17 on a late field goal , and Baltimore ' s season ended early . Ray Lewis was also named Defensive Player of the year for the second time in his career . In April 2003 , Art Modell sold 49 % of the team to Steve Bisciotti , a local businessman who had made his fortune in the temporary staffing field . After the season , Art Modell officially transferred his remaining 51 % ownership to Bisciotti , ending over 40 years of tenure as an NFL franchise owner . Modell still has an office at the Ravens ' headquarters in Owings Mills , Maryland , and acts as a consultant . 2004 season . The Ravens attempted to engineer a trade for Terrell Owens in the 2004 offseason , but the NFLPA filed a grievance with the NFL , claiming Terrell Owens should have been granted free agency . Just before a judge made a decision in the case , the NFL and NFLPA came to a settlement , which set up a 3 - way trade between the Eagles , 49ers , and Ravens . Owens went to the Eagles , and the Ravens got back the pick they had traded to the 49ers , and were also granted a 5th round draft pick . Boller remained quarterback through the entire season . Ed Reed became a full - fledged star on defense , with nine interceptions . Reed was also named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year . He broke the NFL record for longest INT return , with a 106 yard return against the Cleveland Browns . Baltimore remained in playoff contention the entire season , but with a 9 – 7 record did not go to the playoffs . 2005 season . In the 2005 offseason the Ravens looked to augment their receiving corps ( which was second - worst in the NFL in 2004 ) by signing Derrick Mason from the Titans and drafting star Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft . The 2005 season ( the Ravens ' 10th Anniversary season ) began as the featured " Sunday Night Football " game televised by ESPN . This game against the Indianapolis Colts led the announcer to state , " What a wonderful way to begin the season , the game between the team that plays here now and the team which used to play here . " The game ' s first half was a defensive slugfest , with the score at the half 3 – 0 Colts , but the second half saw the Ravens fall apart and starting QB Kyle Boller was lost to a foot injury ( Colts 24 , Ravens 7 ) . In the 2nd week road opener versus historic rival Tennessee , backup QB Anthony Wright failed to spark the offense and the defense couldn ' t hold the Titans back , allowing the second straight loss ( 25 – 10 ) . During the team ' s bye week , coach Billick tried to install the idea that after the bye , the season starts anew and they forget about their past losses . This strategy led the Ravens to a Week 4 Win against the Jets ( 13 – 3 ) , but the Ravens fell apart against the Lions ( 35 – 17 ) , setting a franchise record for penalties in a single game ( 21 ) . The Ravens rebounded at home the next week against the Cleveland Browns , with a final score of 16 – 3 . However , from Week 7 to Week 10 , the Ravens would lose to the Chicago Bears ( 10 – 6 ) , the Pittsburgh Steelers ( 20 – 19 ) , the Cincinnati Bengals ( 21 – 9 ) , and the Jacksonville Jaguars ( 30 – 3 ) . The Ravens turned the tide in a Week 11 rematch with the Steelers at home , winning 16 – 13 in OT , but were season - swept by the Bengals the next week , 42 – 29 . The Ravens won their next game against the hapless Houston Texans 16 – 15 , but lost a week later on the road to the Denver Broncos 12 – 10 . Then , the Ravens played their final two home games under the prime time light . First , they manhandled the Green Bay Packers on " Monday Night Football " 48 – 3 . Then , they destroyed any playoff chance that the Minnesota Vikings had by winning on " Sunday Night Football " 30 – 23 . Despite the resurgence of Kyle Boller , they couldn ' t carry their momentum entirely . Despite leading the Browns 13 – 6 at halftime , they lost the lead in the 3rd quarter and trailed for the rest of the game , ultimately losing 20 – 16 . The Ravens ended their season 6 – 10 . Despite having the same regular season record as the Cleveland Browns , the Ravens were technically third in the AFC North , since they beat the Browns on the division records tiebreaker : In the AFC North , the Ravens were 2 – 4 , while the Browns were 1 – 5 . 2006 season . The 2006 Baltimore Ravens season began with the team trying to improve on their 6 – 10 record in 2005 . The Ravens , for the first time in franchise history , started 4 – 0 under the surprising leadership of former Titans quarterback Steve McNair . With miracle offensive plays engineered primarily in the second half of games by players Todd Heap , Jamal Lewis , Mark J . Clayton , and even backup quarterback Kyle Boller , the team scored key victories over playoff - bound teams such as San Diego and New Orleans . The Ravens then lost 2 straight games mid - season on offensive troubles , prompting coach Brian Billick to drop their offensive coordinator Jim Fassel in their week 7 bye . Also during the mid - season , the Ravens won an important victory when McNair and wide receiver Derrick Mason returned with the Ravens to their former stomping grounds of Tennessee to defeat the Titans . Riding the influence of their winning streak , the Ravens sought a sweep of the AFC North division in a rematch against the Bengals late in the season . Baltimore was unable to produce offensively enough to overcome a team led by their own former defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis . The loss ended Baltimore ' s hopes of a division sweep . Still ranked second overall to the first - place San Diego , Baltimore continued . They slowed down the surging Chiefs , continued dominance over rival Cleveland , and held the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers to only one touchdown at Heinz Field , allowing the Ravens to still clinch the AFC North . The Ravens ended the regular season with a franchise - best 13 – 3 record . Still considered one of the better teams in the NFL , and a Super Bowl favorite by some the Ravens had secured the AFC North title , the # 2 AFC playoff seed , and clinched a 1st - round bye . The Ravens were slated to face the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the playoffs , in the first meeting of the two teams in the playoffs . Many Baltimore and Indianapolis fans saw this historic meeting as a sort of " Judgment Day " with the new team of Baltimore facing the old team of Baltimore ( the former Baltimore Colts having left Baltimore on March 28 , 1984 ) . In one of the most bizarre playoff games in NFL history , both Indianapolis and Baltimore were held to scoring only field goals as the two defenses slugged it out all over M & T Bank Stadium . McNair threw two costly interceptions , including one at the 1 - yard line . The Super Bowl bound Colts won 15 – 6 , ending Baltimore ' s season . During this offseason the Ravens waived Jamal Lewis , who signed with the Cleveland Browns , and failed to re - sign Adalius Thomas who signed with the New England Patriots , and Ovie Mughelli who signed with the Atlanta Falcons . Ravens then traded for Willis McGahee with a 3rd and 7th round draft pick in 2007 and a 3rd round pick in 2008 . 2007 . The 2007 season saw the Ravens crumble to a 5 – 11 record , after which Brian Billick was fired as head coach . 2008 . With John Harbaugh as the new coach , Baltimore smartly recovered in 2008 , winning eleven games and achieving a wild card spot in the postseason . They defeated the Dolphins , and then the # 1 - seeded Titans to meet their division rival Pittsburgh in the conference championship . However , they lost 23 – 14 . 2009 . In 2009 , the Ravens won their first three matches , then lost the next three , including a close overtime match in Minnesota . The rest of the season was an uneven string of wins and losses , which included a home victory over Pittsburgh in overtime followed by a Monday Night loss in Green Bay . That game was notable for the huge number of penalties committed , costing a total of 310 yards , and almost tying with the record set by Tampa Bay and Seattle in 1976 . Afterwards , the Ravens easily crushed the Lions and Bears , giving up less than ten points in both games . The next match was against the Steelers , where Baltimore lost a close one before beating the Raiders to end the season . With a record of 9 – 7 , the team finished second in the division and gained another wild card . Moving into the playoffs , they ran over the Patriots , but were not destined to reach the AFC Championship again , as they were routed 20 – 3 by the Colts in the divisional round a week later . 2010 . Baltimore managed to beat the Jets 10 – 9 on the 2010 opener , but then lost a poorly - played game against Cincinnati the following week . The Ravens rebounded against the other two division teams , beating Cleveland 24 – 17 in Week 3 and then Pittsburgh 17 – 14 in Week 4 . The Ravens scored a fine win ( 31 – 17 ) at home against Denver in Week 5 . After an overtime loss to New England , they narrowly avoided losing at home to the winless Bills . Next , the Ravens hosted Miami and won 26 – 10 , breaking that team ' s 4 – 0 road streak . On Thursday Night , the team headed to Atlanta and lost 26 – 21 in a game that had some criticizing the officiating . The Ravens finished the season 12 – 4 , second in the division due to a tiebreaker with Pittsburgh , and earning a wild card spot . Baltimore headed to Kansas City and crushed the unprepared Chiefs 34 – 7 , but once again were knocked from the playoffs by Pittsburgh in a hard - fought battle . 2011 . The Ravens hosted their arch - enemy in Week 1 of the 2011 season . On a hot , humid day in M & T Bank Stadium , crowd noise and multiple Steelers mistakes allowed Baltimore to crush them with 3 TDs 35 – 7 . The frustrated Pittsburgh players also committed several costly penalties . Thus , the Ravens had gained their first ever victory over the Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger playing and avenged themselves of repeated regular and postseason losses in the series . But in Week 2 , the Ravens collapsed in Tennessee and lost 26 – 13 . They rebounded by routing the Rams in Week 3 and then overpowering the Jets 34 – 17 in Week 4 . Week 5 , the Ravens had a bye week , following a game against the Texans . But in Week 7 , Baltimore had a stunning MNF upset loss in Jacksonville as they were held to one TD in a 12 – 7 loss . Their final scoring drive failed as Joe Flacco threw an interception in the closing seconds of the game .