For two decades, Scottish Ravens fan Jonathan Baillie dreamed of coming to a game at M&T Bank Stadium. When it was finally going to happen, he figured, why not take it to another level?
Baillie and Ashley Stark got engaged on the pregame sideline before Sunday's Ravens-Bears game, an apparent first for a tour company that arranges trips for UK fans looking to see their favorite team in person.
Baillie turned 40 years old this year and coming to a Ravens game was his present. He came up with the idea to add the engagement several months ago.
"Where better to do it than at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Let's make it extra special," Baillie said.
Stark isn't interested in American football, but it was a special trip abroad for the couple that had dated for about four years. She was totally surprised and speechless with delight afterward.
"Even though I'm clueless to what's going on, it's absolutely amazing," she said.
The two hail from Prestwick, Scotland. Baillie became a Ravens fan in 2002 when he couldn't fall asleep one night and a Ravens game was on late-night TV. They had sensational rookie Ed Reed, who joined Ray Lewis to make a ferocious defense.
"I just fell in love," he said. "The defense – the aggression and the grittiness and the Baltimore toughness – I really bought into that and it really resonated with me. So I adopted the Ravens as my team."
Baillie and Stark have a 3-year-old son named Jackson, named after … you guessed it. Baillie had literally never told Stark that Lamar Jackson was the inspiration for the name but she liked it regardless. Now his parents will have an even deeper Ravens connection.
Accompanied by UK Ravens leader Ben Mortimer, Baillie and Stark hung out on the pregame sideline and even got to meet linebacker Roquan Smith.
"This is the final piece of the jigsaw," Baillie said. "Aside from the birth of my son, this is the best day of my life."
