The Baltimore Ravens is a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The team was established in 1996 and competes in the AFC North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League. The Ravens is owned by Steve Bisciotti with Ozzie Newsome as the team’s general manager and John Harbaugh as the team’s head coach. The official colors of the Ravens are purple, black, metallic gold, and white. The team currently plays in M&T Bank Stadium, also known as The NFL Stadium at Camden Yards, the PSINet Stadium and the Ravens Stadium.
The Baltimore Ravens was established when Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns, expressed his intention to relocate his team to Baltimore. This brought forth the formation of an expansion team and a new franchise. When Modell relocated the team to Baltimore, he hired Ted Marchibroda as head coach. However, after three consecutive losing seasons under Marchibroda, he was replaced by Brian Billick in 1999. In the year 2000, Modell sold 49% of his franchise to Steve Bisciotti due to continual financial hardships.
The year 2000 was the most memorable year for the Ravens. Led by defensive coordinator, Marvin Lewis, the team set a new defense NFL record in holding opposing teams to 165 total points. The team’s season started out strong with a 5-1 record. Later in the season, Baltimore went to Tampa for Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants, and came out with a 34-7 score, securing their first championship in franchise history. Winning the Super Bowl title made the Ravens the fourth Baltimore-based pro football team to win a league championship. This feat was not accomplished again for the remainder of the Baltimore Raven’s playing season.