OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens have undergone profound changes since their controversial arrival from Cleveland after the 1995 NFL season.
The Ravens are now considered by many to be as much a part of Baltimore as the Orioles and Inner Harbor. Owner Steve Bisciotti and coach Brian Billick oversee a solid franchise that plays in a pristine stadium, practices in a state-of-the-art facility and, most importantly, owns a Super Bowl trophy.
As they prepare for their 10th season in Baltimore, the Ravens this year will celebrate their current good fortune and look back to a time when owner Art Modell and coach Ted Marchibroda were preparing quarterback Vinny Testaverde and the rest of the transplanted Cleveland Browns for their inaugural season at ancient Memorial Stadium.
The Ravens defeated Oakland in their opener in 1996, then won only three more games the entire season. Four years later, though, Baltimore fought its way into the Super Bowl.
"Going from 4-12 that year and then making it to the top of the mountain, that was the ultimate for me and the guys," said Jonathan Ogden on Monday. Ogden, the first draft choice in Ravens history was a member of that awful first team.
Ogden is certain to be selected by the fans as one of the team's top 10 players over the first nine years of the franchise. To mark their anniversary, the Ravens will ask fans to vote for their favorite players, the most memorable moments and top 10 plays.
"I have so many memories," Ogden said. "The biggest was the Super Bowl win. The hardest thing was the losing years."
Testaverde and Marchibroda are long gone. So is Modell, now two years removed as the team's principle owner.
"Ten years have flown by," Modell said by phone yesterday. "We didn't have unanimous support when we came in. Some of the old Colts fans, and some of the old Colts were resentful that we came in as new kids on the block. ... They didn't know us from a hole in the wall."
The Super Bowl win after the 2000 season cemented the team's rapport with the fans of Baltimore.
The Ravens this season will wear a patch commemorating their 10th anniversary. The patch has a black and silver X in the middle, the years 1996 and 2005 on the side and the team logo on top.
