Remembering The Great Pass Receiver Raymond Berry

It is highly significant and regrettable that I did not post regarding the life, career, hard work and recently the death, at age 93, of the great NFL receiver, twice title winning with the Colts of B’more (Baltimore), Raymond Berry.

In similar fashion to the great Pete Rose in baseball, Mr. Berry born with one leg shorter than the other and not blessed with all-time ability, worked exponentially hard, to become an all-time great pass receiver.

At one time, he became the all time receptions leader on a catch I recall watching in Alisa Weinberg’s apartment, probably barely in “age double figures,” if that.

The 1958 NFL Title game and Unitas (John, his last name mispronounced that night by the otherwise great Bennett Cerf on “What’s My Line) to Berry so many times, on beautiful precision plays that enabled, first the Colts to send the famed ’58 Title game vs the New York Giants, into overtime (Commissioner Bert Bell’s dream result) and to win it on Alan Ameche’s 1 yard run after his big one, set it up.

Later (reverse the digits) 27 years by count in ’85, Raymond coached the New England Patriots on an incredible streak, making the Super Bowl, but there, they ran into an another all-time, for one season anyway, entity, the Chicago Bears, who routed N.E. in that tilt.

Maybe, somewhere in a better place the great New York Giants players especially Sam Huff, who claimed he heard “Unitas to Berry,” in his sleep are greeting Berry and the many greats from both teams (I think only Lenny Moore, also in his 90’s and not well, is still alive from the list of that game’s greats ( Berry and the Colts, trailing (9-7) (3 “Super” not P.A.T.’s but field goals by Pat Summerall) entering the 4th quarter, (31-16’d) the Giants in the ’59 championship game), are gathering, with Raymond Berry and his performance, as memorable as any.

Below, please click on YouTube as instructed, to watch highlights and commentary by Frank Deford, regarding Raymond Berry.

I had the pleasure of discussing that favorite game of Mr. Deford with him, however briefly, after his appearance at 92Y, a scant 3 days after Muhammad Ali died in 2016. We discussed Ali, another great, as well.

“Unitas to Berry”