Two-time NFL champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer Raymond Berry has died at 93. His death was confirmed by the Hall of Fame on Monday, with details revealing he passed away on May 25 surrounded by family.
Raymond Berry’s death at 93 brings a long, defining chapter of NFL history to a close—one tied to the Baltimore Colts, the quarterback who made their routes sing, and a receiver who became proof that craft could outwork talent.
Berry, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973, spent his entire 13-season playing career with the Baltimore Colts. In that time, he led the league three times in catches and yards and twice in touchdowns. Hallways of modern receiver drills may not name him first. but the way he built his game did—through discipline. repetition. and timing.
His passing was confirmed by a statement made via the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Monday. The statement said Berry died on May 25 while surrounded by family.
Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter remembered Berry as someone people often dismissed because of size or speed. even as the work came relentlessly. “People said Raymond Berry was not blessed with the size or speed of other receivers in the National Football League. but no one worked harder to refine his skills and master his craft. ” Porter said.
Porter added that Berry’s partnership with quarterback Johnny Unitas was built the same way he played—through hours of route-running. with thousands of repetitions in practice that shaped their “dynamic tandem.” Porter said the pair developed chemistry that made them think “with one mind on game days.”.
Together, Berry and Unitas helped the Colts win consecutive titles in the late 1950s, including the 1958 NFL Championship Game. That matchup is described as a springboard for professional football’s rise into becoming this country’s most popular sport.
After hanging up his cleats, Berry spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach at both NFL and college level. He later took a head coaching role with the New England Patriots in 1984.
One season after joining the Patriots, Berry led them to Super Bowl XX, where they were defeated by the Chicago Bears. Over six seasons with the Patriots, the team produced a 48-39 record.
Berry’s name is also inseparable from “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” the 1985 NFL Championship game. Playing as a split end, he caught 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown as the Colts beat the New York Giants 23-17. The game became the first sudden-death contest in NFL history.
His accolades reached far beyond that night. Berry was a three-time All-Pro, a member of the Hall of Fame’s All-1950s Team, and included on the NFL’s All-Time 75th and 100th Anniversary squads.
Even in death, Berry’s impact reads like the work he believed in—quiet preparation turning into moments that never faded.
Raymond Berry NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Baltimore Colts Johnny Unitas Super Bowl XX Chicago Bears New England Patriots