Gold Jacket Spotlight: Raymond Berry; No One Worked Harder

It’s an image forever etched in history and in the minds eye of football fans everywhere: Alan Ameche plunging into the end zone to conclude “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

But without Raymond Berry and his legendary pass-catching acumen, there is no winning score in overtime for the Baltimore Colts that lifts them over the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game.

Featuring several future Hall of Famers on both sides of the ball for both teams, the famous game moves the blossoming National Football League squarely into the spotlight of American sports.

This week, the Gold Jacket Spotlight shines on Raymond. A Hall of Famer with a hall of fame work ethic, he stretched every ounce of his talent into a 13-year NFL career, numerous accolades and enshrinement in Canton in 1973, his first year of eligibility.

In the 1958 NFL Championship Game, Raymond caught 12 passes – a title-game record that would stand for 55 years – for 178 yards and a touchdown. Three of his grabs, covering 62 yards, came on consecutive plays in the Colts’ do-or-die, last-minute drive to the tying field goal. In overtime, he made two receptions for 33 yards, helping set up Ameche’s history-making run.

Many of the catches were vintage Raymond: perfectly executed routes honed over hours and hours of mundane repetition. Long after teammates left the practice field, Raymond would work on route-running and pass-catching with whomever he could find to throw the ball – Johnny Unitas, a backup quarterback or even a ball boy. At home, he sometimes called on his wife to make throws in their backyard.

In a way only Art Donovan could put it, the former Colts defensive tackle said: “Me and Gino (Marchetti) would have a dozen beers down after practice and Raymond would still be out on the field catching passes. We’d all be running off the practice field, and he’d be chasing us to get somebody to throw him another 50 passes. He was one of a kind.”

By his own count, Raymond had 88 moves he used to get open, more than making up for his relative lack of size and speed.

Presenting Raymond for enshrinement, former Colts coach Weeb Eubank said: “He is a perfect example, young fellows, that hard work does pay off.”

At the time of his retirement, Raymond’s 631 receptions for 9,275 yards were NFL records, and his 68 TDs were tied for third all time. He led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards three times and TDs twice.

His honors included three All-Pro teams, six Pro Bowl trips and spots on the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1950s, AFL-NFL 1960-1984 All-Star Team, NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and NFL 100 All-Time Team.

“Luck is something which happens when preparation meets opportunity,” Raymond said. “One play may make the difference in winning or losing a game. I must be prepared to make my own luck.”

We’re the lucky ones this week, able to see Raymond Berry in the Gold Jacket Spotlight.