The Great Ray Berry
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:46 amThe Paris News
http://theparisnews.com
Copyright © 2005 The Paris News
Raymond Berry returns to alma mater
By Van Hilburn
The Paris News
Published March 11, 2005
Getting the attention of high school students can be a demanding, almost impossible task for just about anyone.
Former Paris High star and NFL legend Raymond Berry had no such problems Thursday afternoon. In a building named after his father (the Raymond Berry Athletic Complex at Paris High), Raymond Emmett Berry captivated a group of more than 150 students, coaches and teachers for more than a 30-minutes.
He spoke of his days at Paris High and in the late 1940s and how his father helped mold a group of players into a unified team that went on to accomplish their goal of winning a district championship in 1949.
"Our class had a lot of boys who loved to play the game of football and we had a goal that was to win our championship. It was a goal we started thinking about when we were freshmen and during our senior year we won that championship," recalled Berry. "I never was really aware of the fact that during my senior year I experienced one of the most important things that you can experience in life. That is the power of the team. The power of the team is really an incredible phenomenon and I experienced it right here at Paris High during my senior year, but I just didn't really understand the dynamics of it at the time."
The Wildcats finished a perfect 5-0 in District 7-2A that year, beating heavily favored Gainesville for the league title. They ended up with a 9-2 record, losing only to Highland Park in the playoffs and Corsicana in a non-district game.
"When you get a group of people united for a common goal, you release a tremendous amount of power. That particular year was my first experience with that power," added Berry.
It would not be his last, as the former Wildcat standout went on to play for Southern Methodist University before being drafted by the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League.
It was with the Colts where Berry's work ethics learned at Paris started paying off in a huge way. In his 13-year pro career with the Colts, he was the favorite target of quarterback Johnny Unitas and the two would make history together while winning two world championships.
From 1955-67, Berry caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns.
Berry, a 20th-round draft pick in 1955 who was given little or no chance at making it in the NFL, excelled because of his work ethic. That same work ethic continued when he took over as head coach of the New England Patriots.
He coached the Patriots the Super Bowl in 1985 and recalls his hero from that season, reserve offensive tackle Art Plunkett, who was in only one play, but was instrumental in leading the Patriots to a surprising win over Don Shula's Miami Dolphins.
"Art Plunkett never played the rest of the year... but we would never have made it to the Super Bowl had it not been for him," Berry said.
Plunkett defined the dynamics of a team, according to Berry.
"You see on a team there are no insignificant people. People have different jobs, some more than others, but a team is composed of all the parts, all with a certain role," Berry said. "At certain times even the so-called minor role can become the most important part of the entire operation. It's something that everybody on the team needs to understand."
Berry spent six seasons as head coach of the Patriots, compiling a 51-41 record before resigning during the 1989 season.
The former Wildcat star left his mark in the NFL, but he never forgot how or where that name was made.
"My high school coach something that I just didn't see very often, the ability to make kids believe that they could win. That high school coach was my dad,†Berry said.
Three hours after leaving his alma mater, Raymond Emmett Berry was honored at the "I Love Paris" gala, another recognition for the former Wildcat who excelled on pro football's biggest stage.
[email protected]
http://theparisnews.com
Copyright © 2005 The Paris News
Raymond Berry returns to alma mater
By Van Hilburn
The Paris News
Published March 11, 2005
Getting the attention of high school students can be a demanding, almost impossible task for just about anyone.
Former Paris High star and NFL legend Raymond Berry had no such problems Thursday afternoon. In a building named after his father (the Raymond Berry Athletic Complex at Paris High), Raymond Emmett Berry captivated a group of more than 150 students, coaches and teachers for more than a 30-minutes.
He spoke of his days at Paris High and in the late 1940s and how his father helped mold a group of players into a unified team that went on to accomplish their goal of winning a district championship in 1949.
"Our class had a lot of boys who loved to play the game of football and we had a goal that was to win our championship. It was a goal we started thinking about when we were freshmen and during our senior year we won that championship," recalled Berry. "I never was really aware of the fact that during my senior year I experienced one of the most important things that you can experience in life. That is the power of the team. The power of the team is really an incredible phenomenon and I experienced it right here at Paris High during my senior year, but I just didn't really understand the dynamics of it at the time."
The Wildcats finished a perfect 5-0 in District 7-2A that year, beating heavily favored Gainesville for the league title. They ended up with a 9-2 record, losing only to Highland Park in the playoffs and Corsicana in a non-district game.
"When you get a group of people united for a common goal, you release a tremendous amount of power. That particular year was my first experience with that power," added Berry.
It would not be his last, as the former Wildcat standout went on to play for Southern Methodist University before being drafted by the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League.
It was with the Colts where Berry's work ethics learned at Paris started paying off in a huge way. In his 13-year pro career with the Colts, he was the favorite target of quarterback Johnny Unitas and the two would make history together while winning two world championships.
From 1955-67, Berry caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns.
Berry, a 20th-round draft pick in 1955 who was given little or no chance at making it in the NFL, excelled because of his work ethic. That same work ethic continued when he took over as head coach of the New England Patriots.
He coached the Patriots the Super Bowl in 1985 and recalls his hero from that season, reserve offensive tackle Art Plunkett, who was in only one play, but was instrumental in leading the Patriots to a surprising win over Don Shula's Miami Dolphins.
"Art Plunkett never played the rest of the year... but we would never have made it to the Super Bowl had it not been for him," Berry said.
Plunkett defined the dynamics of a team, according to Berry.
"You see on a team there are no insignificant people. People have different jobs, some more than others, but a team is composed of all the parts, all with a certain role," Berry said. "At certain times even the so-called minor role can become the most important part of the entire operation. It's something that everybody on the team needs to understand."
Berry spent six seasons as head coach of the Patriots, compiling a 51-41 record before resigning during the 1989 season.
The former Wildcat star left his mark in the NFL, but he never forgot how or where that name was made.
"My high school coach something that I just didn't see very often, the ability to make kids believe that they could win. That high school coach was my dad,†Berry said.
Three hours after leaving his alma mater, Raymond Emmett Berry was honored at the "I Love Paris" gala, another recognition for the former Wildcat who excelled on pro football's biggest stage.
[email protected]