Berry talks
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:07 amRaymond Berry is a native of Texas, played professional football in Maryland and coached in Massachusetts - and yet his visit to Athens on Tuesday was a homecoming of sorts.
On the occasion of his appearance at the Athens Country Club for Tuesday's Touchdown Club meeting, the Pro Football Hall of Famer was reunited with two of his Baltimore Colts teammates - South Carolina product Alex Hawkins and Georgia's Jimmy Orr - as well as two more ex-Bulldogs -Dick Conn and Andy Johnson - who played for Berry when he was a coach with the New England Patriots.
The 75-year-old Berry is one of the greatest examples in football history of willpower overcoming physical ability. Because one of his legs is shorter than the other, Berry was forced to wear special shoes.
The 20th-round draft pick had poor eyesight and average-at-best speed. And yet his work ethic and attention to detail allowed him to become one of the most productive receivers in NFL history.
The six-time Pro Bowler combined with Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas to form one of the most lethal passing duos in the league while playing for Baltimore between 1955 and 1967.
While Berry ended his career with a then-record total of 631 receptions for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns, his career highlight might be his performance in the Colts' overtime win against the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, dubbed by some as "The Greatest Game Ever Played."
Berry and Unitas led the Colts to the comeback win, connecting 12 times for 178 yards and a touchdown, including two key catches for 33 yards on the game-winning drive.
Berry chatted with Banner-Herald sports editor David Ching for a few minutes prior to his speech to the Athens Touchdown Club. Here is some of what Berry had to say:
Q: Since you played at SMU , their hiring June Jones as coach in the last year was a pretty ambitious step. What's your feel for the way things are going with SMU now?
A: I think June Jones knows how to put a winning football team on the field, and I think Dallas, Texas, is a great place to recruit boys. I think if teams like TCU and Texas Tech can be at the top of the national rankings, I think SMU can also. I think they just need to have leadership and the right commitment to getting it done. Plus, they've also got to have a level playing field as far as the grades, and not have unrealistic grade-point requirements for football players. Whoever SMU's got to compete against, they need to be on the same level playing field with them
The rest of the story...
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/111 ... 8772.shtml
On the occasion of his appearance at the Athens Country Club for Tuesday's Touchdown Club meeting, the Pro Football Hall of Famer was reunited with two of his Baltimore Colts teammates - South Carolina product Alex Hawkins and Georgia's Jimmy Orr - as well as two more ex-Bulldogs -Dick Conn and Andy Johnson - who played for Berry when he was a coach with the New England Patriots.
The 75-year-old Berry is one of the greatest examples in football history of willpower overcoming physical ability. Because one of his legs is shorter than the other, Berry was forced to wear special shoes.
The 20th-round draft pick had poor eyesight and average-at-best speed. And yet his work ethic and attention to detail allowed him to become one of the most productive receivers in NFL history.
The six-time Pro Bowler combined with Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas to form one of the most lethal passing duos in the league while playing for Baltimore between 1955 and 1967.
While Berry ended his career with a then-record total of 631 receptions for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns, his career highlight might be his performance in the Colts' overtime win against the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, dubbed by some as "The Greatest Game Ever Played."
Berry and Unitas led the Colts to the comeback win, connecting 12 times for 178 yards and a touchdown, including two key catches for 33 yards on the game-winning drive.
Berry chatted with Banner-Herald sports editor David Ching for a few minutes prior to his speech to the Athens Touchdown Club. Here is some of what Berry had to say:
Q: Since you played at SMU , their hiring June Jones as coach in the last year was a pretty ambitious step. What's your feel for the way things are going with SMU now?
A: I think June Jones knows how to put a winning football team on the field, and I think Dallas, Texas, is a great place to recruit boys. I think if teams like TCU and Texas Tech can be at the top of the national rankings, I think SMU can also. I think they just need to have leadership and the right commitment to getting it done. Plus, they've also got to have a level playing field as far as the grades, and not have unrealistic grade-point requirements for football players. Whoever SMU's got to compete against, they need to be on the same level playing field with them
The rest of the story...
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/111 ... 8772.shtml