Raymond Berry dies at 93: Hall of Famer won 2 titles with Colts, including 'Greatest Game Ever Played'

When the Colts resided in Baltimore (and, often, atop the NFL), Raymond Berry was a fixture as arguably the game's greatest receiver of the time.

Quiet and reserved in demeanor, Berry's numbers were boisterous; when he finished his playing career in 1967, he was the league's all-time leader in catches and receiving yards and was en route to a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.

A Colts legend, two-time NFL champion and former New England Patriots head coach, Berry died on May 25 at the age of 93, the Hall of Fame announced Monday.

With Johnny Unitas leading the way, Berry was on the other end of one of the NFL's first and greatest QB-WR combos. Following his playing career, Berry became a head coach of the New England Patriots for six seasons, guiding the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance.

Across 13 seasons with the Colts, Berry was a six-time Pro Bowler at split end who led the league in receptions and receiving yards on three occasions apiece. It added up to 631 receptions, 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 1973, Berry was also a three-time first-team All-Pro, a member of the Hall of Fame's All-1950s Team and a member of the NFL's All-Time 75th and 100th Anniversary squads.

A splendid route runner with the surest of hands, Berry overcame poor eyesight, a lack of speed and having to wear a back brace to turn in an amazing career that overflowed with statistical gaudiness in its time.

From 1956 to 1966, Berry turned in at least 600 receiving yards each season, and from 1957 to 1966, he had at least 40 catches every year.

Berry's astonishing career is all the more amazing considering how it began. Berry, who had just 33 catches in three college seasons at Southern Methodist, was a skinny 6-foot-2, 187-pounder who was slow of step and long on odds to even make a Colts roster after the club took him in the 20th round of the 1954 NFL Draft. That was all in addition to him dealing with wearing a back brace and special shoes because one leg was shorter than the other due to a misalignment in his back.

Just as he seemingly always found a way to get open with his dazzling route running, Berry, a marvel of fundamental excellence who fumbled just once in his 13 seasons, found a way to become a Hall of Fame talent.

He and Unitas, who connected for 63 touchdowns, were a spectacular pairing that keyed the Colts' back-to-back NFL Championships.