Raymond Berry, Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver, dies at 93 years old

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Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver and longtime coach Raymond Berry died peacefully at home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on May 25, according to a release the Hall sent out on Monday. He was 93 years old.

Berry played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts. He was a 20th-round selection by the team (No. 232 overall) in 1954 out of SMU. Berry won two NFL championships with the Colts in 1958 and 1959 and was a three-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler.

"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," Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement.

"The chemistry he developed with quarterback Johnny Unitas through hours of route-running and thousands of receptions in practice created a dynamic tandem that thought with one mind on game days. Together they helped the Colts win win consecutive titles in the late 1950s, including the classic 1958 NFL championship game that served as a springboard for professional football becoming this country's most popular sport. On top of that, there was no finer gentleman — a person who remained humble and grounded when others sought to thrust stardom upon him."

In 154 career games, Berry compiled 631 receptions for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns. (He only had 13 catches in his rookie season.) When he retired after the 1967 season, Berry was the NFL's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.

Additionally, he led the league three times in receptions and receiving yards. He also led the NFL in touchdown catches twice. During the 1959 season, Berry won the receiving "triple crown" with 66 catches, 939 yards and 14 TDs. His best season came in 1960, when he notched 74 receptions for 1,298 yards.

In 1958, though, he notably pulled in 12 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown in the aforementioned NFL championship game against the New York Giants, helping the Colts win an overtime contest that became known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played." 

For his achievements as a player, Berry was named to the NFL's 75th and 100th anniversary all-time teams, is in the Baltimore Ravens' Ring of Honor, and has his jersey number retired by SMU (No, 87) and the Colts (No. 82). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973. 

A Super Bowl coach with the Patriots

Following his retirement as a player, Berry coached for 24 years beginning in 1968 as a receivers coach with the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry. He also had stints as an assistant coaching receivers at Arkansas and with the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. 

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Berry took a three-year break from football after the Patriots' coaching staff was fired following the 1981 season and went into real estate. However, he was hired as New England's head coach during the 1984 campaign when Ron Meyer was dismissed. 

The following season, the Patriots went 11–5 and qualified for the NFL playoffs as a wild card. Winning three playoff games on the road, New England went on to Super Bowl XX and was a 10-point underdog to the Chicago Bears. The Bears went on to win 46–10 in what was then the most lopsided margin in Super Bowl history. 

Berry coached the Patriots for four more seasons before being fired when he refused to give up control over personnel and make changes to his staff. He spent a year away from coaching before taking a position as quarterback coach with the Lions in 1991. He had the same role with the Denver Broncos the following season, his last in coaching.