Baltimore Ravens Mobile Museum Virtual Tour

The Rebirth of Football in Baltimore highlights the inception of the Ravens franchise, the early years (1996‑98) in Charm City and a closer look at the two cornerstone pieces that became foundational pillars of the organization.

This exhibition is first in a series that celebrates the Ravens’ 30th season. The franchise’s first few years in the late 1990s served as building blocks for decades to come. The Ravens’ standard of excellence, both on and off the field, which includes two Super Bowl championships (2000 & 2012), were rooted in those initial years.

Owner Art Modell signed a stadium lease and officially announced that he was moving the franchise to Baltimore on October 27, 1995 aboard his plane at BWI Airport. Modell made an unusual yet extraordinary decision to leave the Browns’ name, history, logo and colors in Cleveland. The new Baltimore franchise was named “Ravens” following The Baltimore Sun’s telephone poll, which received a record number of calls from fans supporting the name.

The new Ravens logo, colors and uniforms were unveiled during a special fashion show at Baltimore’s Harborplace, with several participating players, including QB Vinny Testaverde, DE Rob Burnett and WR Michael Jackson.

Pro football officially returned to Baltimore when NFL clubs approved the transfer of Art Modell’s franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore on February 9, 1996.

Ted Marchibroda, who was the Baltimore Colts head coach from 1975‑79, was tabbed as the first head coach to lead the Ravens in their inaugural season.

Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome led the Ravens in the draft, making history by selecting two Hall of Famers with the first two picks in a franchise’s history. T Jonathan Ogden (4th overall) and LB Ray Lewis (26th overall) became the cornerstones of the franchise.

The ’96 Ravens’ powerful offense was led by QB Vinny Testaverde, who earned a trip to the Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,177 yards and 33 TDs, while Baltimore’s defense, led by new defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, was in the building process.

The Marching Ravens debuted in 1998 as owner Art Modell felt it was best for the Colts Band to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1997. Instead of purchasing new uniforms for just two Ravens seasons, the Stallions logo was covered by a Baltimore Ravens patch on the back of the uniform and a Baltimore Ravens Marching Band patch on the left shoulder. The shoulder patch has the original name of Baltimore Ravens Marching Band which was changed in January 1998 to Baltimore's Marching Ravens.

Additional Items

• Art Modell's Desk Hourglass from Cleveland Gifted to Him from the Cleveland Advertising Club, September 3, 1965
• Photograph of Art Modell Announcing the Team Name "Ravens" to the World
• Bricks from Memorial Stadium After its Demolition

In 1995, the NFL announced that it would add two expansion teams to the League. Baltimore had been without a football team for 10-plus years and wanted to bring professional football back to Charm City. As a result, the city created merchandise for fans and residents to wear to encourage the expansion team to come to Baltimore. Ultimately, that did not happen, but the Cleveland franchise then decided to make the move to Baltimore, and the city was once again with NFL football.

Additional Items

• Ravens 1996 Replica Helmet
• Ravens Inaugural Season Ticket Sheet, 1996

The Ravens’ first-ever regular season game was held on September 1, 1996 at Memorial Stadium, where many NFL memories had been made by the Baltimore Colts. The game was played before 64,124 fans – the most ever to witness a professional game in Baltimore sports history.

Ten-year veteran QB Vinny Testaverde, who moved to Baltimore with the team, scored the first touchdown in Ravens history – a 9-yard run to propel the team to a 19-14 victory over the Raiders. Testaverde led the Ravens’ sixth-ranked offense, passing for the second-most yards in the NFL, and was rewarded with his first-career Pro Bowl honor.

In their second season in Baltimore (1997), the Ravens drafted several players to join Ray Lewis in building the defense, including first-rounder OLB Peter Boulware, an eventual Ring of Honor member, and S Kim Herring and LB Jamie Sharper, both of whom were starters on the Super Bowl XXXV team (2000). The Ravens also signed DT Tony Siragusa as a free agent to help anchor the defensive line.

In 1998, the team moved downtown to the newly-built stadium at Camden Yards, which was sold out for the first-ever game on September 6 vs. the Steelers. A fixture on the sideline of each game was Hall of Fame Colts QB Johnny Unitas, who kept his home in Baltimore. After he passed in 2002, the Ravens erected a statue outside the stadium in his honor. The Ravens also officially adopted the Baltimore Colts Marching Band, renaming the group Baltimore’s Marching Ravens.

QB Jim Harbaugh, who had been traded to the Ravens for the 1998 season, joined free agent S Rod Woodson and first-round draft pick CB Duane Starks, both of whom started on the Super Bowl XXXV defense, to help improve the team. Unfortunately, they finished with a disappointing 6-10 record, and head coach Ted Marchibroda’s contract was not renewed, ending his run in Baltimore.

The Play Like a Raven mantra, which emerged in the early 2000s, can be traced back to the standard that was set when two cornerstone pieces were drafted by the Ravens’ legendary general manager, Ozzie Newsome, with the first two picks in franchise history: Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis. Ogden and Lewis were both leaders on the 2000 Super Bowl XXXV-winning team, and Lewis’ famous “Last Ride” was during the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII championship run in 2012. The pair became the first-ever set of draft picks selected by a franchise to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jonathan Ogden Career Snapshot

• Pro Football Hall of Fame (2013)
• Baltimore’s first-ever draft pick (fourth overall) in 1996 NFL Draft
• 11-time Pro Bowler (1997-2007)
• Nine-time All-Pro honoree (1997-2004, 2006)
• Super Bowl XXXV Champion (2000)
• Helped RB Jamal Lewis set a franchise record 2,066 rushing yards (2003), the third-most single season rushing yards in NFL history
• Ranks sixth in career regular season games played by a Raven (177, tied with Marshal Yanda) and is third in games started (176)

Ray Lewis Career Snapshot

• Pro Football Hall of Fame (2018)
• Baltimore’s second-ever draft pick (26th overall) in 1996 NFL Draft
• Invited to 13 Pro Bowls (1997-2001, 2003-04 and 2006-11)
• Seven-time All-Pro honoree (1999-2001, 2003-04, 2008-09)
• Two-time Defensive Player of the Year (2000 & 2003)
• Super Bowl XXXV MVP (2000); Super Bowl Champion (2012)
• Named to the NFL All-Decade (2000s) team