SMU Legend Raymond Berry Receives Honor in Paris (TX)

[MrMustang1965]

Professional football star and coach Raymond Emmett Berry is to be the recipient of the 2005 Paris Education Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement award.

He joins 29 other recipients, including his late father, Raymond M. Berry, who received the distinction in 1992.

The 16th annual “I Love Paris” gala is scheduled for March 10 at Love Civic Center, according to PEF director Barbara Kohls.

“It is obviously a very high honor,” the former Paris High School athlete and New England Patriot head coach said. “I appreciate the people there thinking about me, and I look forward to coming back to Paris for that occasion.”

Berry said it has been 50-plus years since he played football for his father and graduated from Paris High School.

“We were a very close class, and we still get together about every five years,” Berry said of the many friends he has in his hometown. “I hope they don’t reveal everything they know about me.”

Berry played college football at Southern Methodist University and then professional football with the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967. He was All-NFL for three years, selected to play in six Pro Bowl games and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

He coached in the NFL for 25 years, six as the head coach of the New England Patriots, where he was named the NFL Coach of the Year in 1985 and led his team to Super Bowl XX during the 1985-86 season.

During his 13 years with the Colts, Berry was a member of two NFL championship teams and, with Johnny Unitas, formed one of the NFL’s top quarterback-receiver combos.

Berry had his greatest game as a professional with a dozen catches for 178 yards in a Colts sudden death overtime game for the NFL Championship in 1958.

He fumbled only once in 13 years and when he retired, he had caught more passes than any other player in pro football history.

Berry now lives in Colorado, works for an insurance firm and an air-purifying company and is a nationally-known motivational speaker.

[DiamondM75]

After all the negativity from Eric Dickerson and Craig James about the SMU athletics, has Berry ever shown any support for his alma mater? Maybe we should really start contacting these people to provide motivation to our teams and alums. Wouldn't it be great to start inviting these people to the Hilltop to speak with atheletes, recruits and alums.

This could be a project of the Atheletic Department and The Mustang Club. I know we have the athletic forum that brings in all types of former athletes and speakers, but having some informal personal contact with SMU alums would be a great gathering.