What Was the Baltimore Ravens' Original Name Before Moving to Baltimore?

The Baltimore Ravens were originally called the Cleveland Browns, an NFL franchise that played in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1946 to 1995. When owner Art Modell relocated the team to Baltimore in 1996, the franchise adopted the new Ravens name, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's famous 1845 poem "The Raven" and Poe's connection to Baltimore, where he died in 1849.

The Cleveland Browns Era and Relocation

The Browns won four NFL championships (1946, 1947, 1948, 1950) before the NFL merged with the All-America Football Conference in 1950, cementing their place in professional football history. The team remained competitive through the 1960s, winning the NFL Championship in 1964, but struggled during the 1970s and 1980s. By the early 1990s, declining attendance and stadium issues in Cleveland made the franchise financially unstable.

Art Modell, who had owned the Browns since 1961, announced the move to Baltimore on November 6, 1995. The relocation was controversial in Cleveland, where fans had supported the team for nearly 50 years. Modell retained the Browns' name, colors (orange and brown), and history for the city of Cleveland, and the NFL eventually awarded Cleveland a new Browns franchise that began play in 1999. This arrangement is unusual in professional sports: Baltimore acquired an existing franchise's assets and moved it, but Cleveland retained the right to the original team name and historical records.

The Ravens' Identity and Name Selection

Baltimore held a public naming contest in early 1996. The Ravens name won decisively because of Poe's legacy in the city. Poe moved to Baltimore in 1831, lived there for most of his remaining years, and died at Washington Medical Center in October 1849 at age 40. His gravesite is located at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in downtown Baltimore, near where many early Ravens games would be played at M&T Bank Stadium (which opened in 1998).

The Ravens adopted a new color scheme of purple, black, and gold, distinct from the Browns' orange and brown. The team's logo features a raven's head in profile, designed to evoke both Poe's work and the bird itself. This visual separation helped establish the Ravens as Baltimore's team, not a transplanted franchise. The mascot, Poe, occasionally appears at games and team events, reinforcing the connection to Baltimore's literary history.

Franchise Success in Baltimore

The relocation proved successful on the field. Under head coach Ted Marchibroda and later Brian Billick, the Ravens reached the playoffs in only their second season (1997) and won the Super Bowl XXXV championship in January 2001, defeating the New York Giants 34-7. That team remains one of the most dominant defensive units in NFL history, led by linebacker Ray Lewis, defensive end Michael McCrary, and safety Ed Reed. The 2000 season (Super Bowl played in February 2001) stands as the franchise's highest achievement since moving from Cleveland.

The Ravens have maintained consistent playoff appearances, winning the AFC North division multiple times and returning to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season (Super Bowl XLVII, played in February 2013), which they won 34-31 against the San Francisco 49ers. Ray Lewis's final game was that Super Bowl victory, cementing his legacy in Baltimore.

Local Legacy and Cultural Connections

In Baltimore, the Ravens name connects the team directly to Poe, whose works are taught in every Baltimore public school and whose image appears throughout the city's cultural institutions. The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, located at 203 North Amity Street in West Baltimore, preserves the house where Poe lived from 1835 to 1849. Game days create a thematic continuity: fans wearing purple walk past Poe memorials and monuments to reach M&T Bank Stadium in downtown Baltimore.

The contrast with Cleveland remains stark. The original Browns' history belongs to Cleveland's franchise records, while Baltimore's Ravens franchise history begins with the 1996 relocation. Some Cleveland fans and sports historians view this distinction as important to the legacy of the original Browns, while others see it as a necessary compromise that allowed Cleveland to retain its team identity and eventually regain an NFL franchise.

Related Questions

Can I visit the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum near M&T Bank Stadium? The Poe House and Museum is located at 203 North Amity Street, about 1.5 miles west of M&T Bank Stadium. It is open seasonally and charges admission; contact the museum directly for current hours and fees, as they vary by season.

When did the Ravens play their first game in Baltimore? The Ravens played their inaugural season in Baltimore in 1996 at the old Memorial Stadium while M&T Bank Stadium was under construction; the team moved to M&T Bank Stadium in 1998.