Past Venue: Memorial Stadium

Baltimore, MD



Year opened: 1950
Capacity: 60,240, up from 31,000 at opening

Names:
Memorial Stadium, 1950-2001

Pro football tenants:
Baltimore Colts (NFL), 1950 (original)
Baltimore Colts (NFL), 1953-83 (second franchise)
Baltimore CFLers/Stallions (CFL), 1994-95
Baltimore Ravens (NFL), 1996-97

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Colts 31 Giants 16, Dec. 27, 1959
NFL Western Conf. Championship, Colts 24 Vikings 14, Dec. 22, 1968
AFC Divisional playoff, Colts 17 Bengals 0, Dec. 26, 1970
AFC Championship, Colts 27 Raiders 17, Jan. 3, 1971
AFC Divisional playoff, Steelers 40 Colts 14, Dec. 19, 1976
AFC Divisional playoff, Raiders 37 Colts 31, Dec. 24, 1977
CFL East Division semifinal, CFLers 34 Argonauts 15, Nov. 12, 1994
CFL South Division semifinal, Stallions 36 Blue Bombers 21, Nov. 4, 1995
CFL South Division final, Stallions 21 Texans 11, Nov. 12, 1995

Other tenants of note:
Baltimore Orioles (minor league baseball), 1950-53
Baltimore Orioles (MLB – AL), 1954-91
Baltimore Bays (NASL), 1967-68
Bowie Baysox (minor league baseball), 1993

Notes: Replaced Municipal/Babe Ruth Stadium, which stood at same location, was demolished and rebuilt into Memorial Stadium. The stadium was occasionally used for University of Maryland football games against major opponents. Also hosted two annual Thanksgiving Day high school football games – Baltimore City College vs. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (“City vs. Poly”, 1954-99) and Calvert Hall College vs. Loyola Blakefield (1957-99). A small plane crashed into the upper deck following the Dec. 19, 1976 AFC Divisional playoff, but fortunately that area of the stadium had already cleared and there were few injuries.

The large Memorial Wall on the outside of the stadium was inscribed “Dedicated as a memorial to all who so valiantly fought in the world wars with eternal gratitude to those who made the supreme sacrifice to preserve equality and freedom throughout the world - time will not dim the glory of their deeds”.

Fate: Demolished in 2001, the site is now occupied by a YMCA facility and two apartment complexes. Concrete from the stadium was used to create an artificial reef in Chesapeake Bay.

2001: Ravens Throttle Giants in Super Bowl XXXV

Nine weeks into the 2000 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens were 5-4 and hardly seemed likely to reach the postseason, let alone the Super Bowl. But from that point they won seven straight games to close out the regular season, securing a wild card spot with a 12-4 record that placed them second in the AFC Central. From there they dominated the Broncos at home and the Titans (the club that won the division title) and Raiders on the road to win the AFC title and storm into a Super Bowl matchup against the New York Giants on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Under Head Coach Brian Billick, the Ravens were propelled forward by the defense. At defensive tackle, Pro Bowler Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa effectively plugged the middle of the line. The brilliant All-Pro MLB Ray Lewis (pictured above) led a unit that included Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper on the outside. Cornerbacks Duane Starks and Chris McAlister were highly effective and joined in the backfield by 35-year-old Pro Bowl FS Rod Woodson and SS Kim Herring. The unit gave up just 165 points over the course of the 16-game season, shutting out four opponents and allowing no more than one TD in 11 contests. If anything, it had stepped up its game in the playoffs.

At midseason, Trent Dilfer took over for Tony Banks at quarterback and provided good leadership as well as a steady hand as game-manager of a conservative, run-oriented offense that kept mistakes at a minimum. Rookie RB Jamal Lewis came on strong in the second half as well, gaining 1364 yards on the ground. 11th-year veteran TE Shannon Sharpe caught 67 passes. OT Jonathan Ogden anchored the offensive line.

The Giants, coached by Jim Fassel, had also gone 12-4 in winning the NFC East, and won more consistently across the course of the season. QB Kerry Collins took every snap and threw for 3610 yards and 22 touchdowns, reviving his career. Running backs Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne combined for 1776 rushing yards and 13 TDs (although Dayne tailed off badly toward the end), and Barber also added 70 pass receptions for 719 yards. Wide receivers Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard were effective and caught 15 scoring passes between them. The solid defense featured Pro Bowl LB Jessie Armstead, DE Michael Strahan, MLB Mike Barrow, and CB Jason Sehorn. New York defeated the Eagles in the Divisional playoff round and then routed the Vikings for the NFC title.


The game started quietly as neither team was able to generate much offense, although as they exchanged punts, the Ravens were winning the battle for field position. The Giants had the first possession of the game, but the second and third times they had the ball, they started at their own 13 and one yard lines, respectively. Midway through the first quarter, WR Jermaine Lewis (pictured at left) returned a punt 33 yards into New York territory, and while a holding penalty cost the Ravens ten yards, they started in good field position at the 41. Two plays later, Dilfer threw to WR Brandon Stokley for a 38-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead.

The clubs returned to trading punts, with Sharper intercepting a Collins pass in the second quarter that Baltimore was unable to capitalize on, but which stopped New York’s deepest penetration thus far (to midfield). The Giants nearly got a big break when Armstead intercepted a Dilfer pass and returned it for an apparent TD, but a defensive holding penalty on DT Keith Hamilton nullified the play.

With less than four minutes remaining in the half, the Ravens took over at their own 12 following another punt by the Giants, but following a six-yard completion to Stokley and a two-yard run by Jamal Lewis, Dilfer threw a pass to WR Qadry Ismail for a 44-yard gain down the left sideline to the New York 36. Four plays later, Matt Stover kicked a 47-yard field goal.

The Giants, getting the ball back with 1:34 remaining on the clock, briefly created some excitement as Collins completed a 17-yard pass to WR Ron Dixon and Barber took off on a 26-yard run to the Ravens’ 29 yard line. But on the next play, McAlister intercepted a Collins pass to snuff out the threat and Baltimore held a 10-0 lead going into halftime.

Following a punt by the Ravens on the first possession of the third quarter, Collins was again intercepted, this time by Kim Herring. Tony Banks replaced Dilfer at quarterback for this series (Dilfer had suffered a hand injury), but after Baltimore advanced to the New York 24, Stover missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.

The game settled back into a monotony of short possessions ending in punts until suddenly a stunning scoring spree erupted. First, Starks intercepted a Collins pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown to stretch Baltimore’s lead to 17-0. However, Dixon returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a TD to make it a 10-point game again. But on the next kickoff, it was Jermaine Lewis responding for the Ravens with an 83-yard touchdown. In just 36 seconds, a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns were scored, and the tally now stood at 24-7 in favor of Baltimore.

After that outburst, the game settled back into a defensive struggle. Baltimore took advantage of a short punt by Brad Maynard from his end zone to start with good field position at the New York 38 and drove to a three-yard touchdown run by Jamal Lewis. A fumble by Dixon on the ensuing kickoff return set up a 34-yard Stover field goal for the game’s final points. New York gained just one first down in its last four possessions and Baltimore came away the winner by a score of 34-7.

The Ravens defense capped a tremendous year by holding the Giants to 152 total yards and 11 first downs, and Ray Lewis was named the game’s MVP (Lewis accounted for 11 tackles, four assists, and four blocked passes). Collins was sacked four times and intercepted four times as well. Baltimore’s offense did little to generate excitement, but gained 244 yards and didn’t turn the ball over (thanks to the negated interception), as opposed to New York’s five turnovers. The teams set a Super Bowl record by punting 21 times (11 by the Giants, 10 by Baltimore).

Trent Dilfer (pictured below) completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. Jamal Lewis ran for 102 yards on 27 carries that included a TD. Brandon Stokley caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown and TE Ben Coates added three receptions for 30 yards.


For the Giants, Kerry Collins had a rough outing, completing just 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and four interceptions. Tiki Barber led the team in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries and also caught 6 passes for 26 yards. Ike Hilliard’s 30 yards on three receptions led the team.

“We came after them early, set a tempo,” said Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, Marvin Lewis. “We applied pressure to let them know we'll play our defense and keep attacking and not let anyone take us out of our game.”

Speaking of the kickoff return for a TD by Jermaine Lewis that trumped Ron Dixon’s, Brian Billick said, “The emotional swing of the game at that point, you could see it on their side. When Jermaine took it back the other way, it was more dramatic...The emotional flipflop, even though the points were the same, I think had to be devastating to them.”

It was a triumphant return to Tampa for Trent Dilfer, who had spent six disappointing seasons with the Buccaneers before moving on to the Ravens. However, winning the Super Bowl did not guarantee job security and he was released in the offseason, catching on with Seattle.

The Ravens parted ways with Dilfer due to the free agent signing of the more highly-esteemed Elvis Grbac, who had been a Pro Bowl quarterback for the Chiefs. While Grbac ultimately proved to be a disappointment, the team again made it to the postseason in 2001, once more as a wild card, but fell to Pittsburgh in the Divisional round. New York dropped more precipitously, going 7-9 in ’01 before returning to the postseason as a wild card team in 2002 – the Giants would not vie again for a championship until the 2007 season.

2003: Ravens Overcome 17-Point Deficit to Force OT & Beat Seahawks

The Baltimore Ravens were 5-5 and had lost their previous two games as they prepared to host the Seattle Seahawks at M & T Bank Stadium on November 23, 2003. Moreover, while Head Coach Brian Billick’s rebuilding team still had an outstanding defense, the offense was being directed for just the second time by QB Anthony Wright (pictured at right), in place of the injured Kyle Boller. Wright had been with the Cowboys for two seasons and had already gained a reputation as a career backup, at best, with limited skills. While RB Jamal Lewis was a capable runner, the passing game was suspect.

Seattle was leading the NFC West with a 7-3 record under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, who was steadily improving the club. The offense, with Matt Hasselbeck in his first full season as the starting quarterback and star RB Shaun Alexander, was becoming more explosive. But while they were a perfect 6-0 at home, the Seahawks were a disconcerting 1-3 on the road.

It appeared that the game would be a low-scoring affair after a scoreless first quarter. Josh Brown put Seattle on the board first with a 45-yard field goal three minutes into the second quarter, and the Ravens matched it late in the period with a 21-yard Matt Stover kick. But in the final minute of the half, the Seahawks scored twice. First, they capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive with Hasselbeck tossing a two-yard touchdown pass to WR Darrell Jackson. Then, as the Ravens were attempting to run out the clock, the Seahawks recovered a fumble by RB Chester Taylor at the Baltimore 10 yard line and Hasselbeck threw a quick 10-yard TD pass to WR Bobby Engram with a second left on the clock. In short order, Seattle had built a 17-3 halftime lead.

The Ravens came right back in their first possession of the third quarter, with a six-play drive highlighted by pass from Wright to WR Travis Taylor that covered 43 yards. Wright then tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to WR Marcus Robinson that cut Seattle’s margin to 17-10.

The reduced margin didn’t last long as, on the third play of the next possession, Hasselbeck connected with WR Koren Robinson for a 38-yard touchdown. Seattle added to its lead following a 24-yard punt by Baltimore’s Dave Zastudil that provided good field position and set up a 46-yard field goal by Brown to make the tally 27-10.

Once again the Ravens narrowed the margin as Wright completed a five-play drive with a 50-yard TD pass to Marcus Robinson. And once again the Seahawks came right back with a score as Hasselbeck immediately completed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Jackson. There was still time left in the eventful third quarter, and Wright found Marcus Robinson for a third touchdown pass that covered 25 yards. The period ended with Seattle up by 10 at 34-24.

Early in the fourth quarter, it seemed as though the Seahawks had finally put the game away when Hasselbeck tossed his fifth touchdown pass, of five yards to Engram, for a renewed 17-point lead of 41-24. But with 6:41 remaining on the clock, Baltimore safety Ed Reed blocked a Jeff Feagles punt and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown. The Ravens got the ball back when LB Ray Lewis recovered a fumble at his own 29 and Wright led the team on a 71-yard drive through a soft Seattle defense that ended with a nine-yard scoring pass to Marcus Robinson.

The Seahawks still led by 41-38 with 1:12 remaining, and it appeared that they would prevail when they recovered an attempted onside kickoff by the Ravens. But in a pivotal play at the Baltimore 33 with 39 seconds left, Hasselbeck’s quarterback sneak was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-one, and the Ravens got the ball back. A 44-yard pass interference penalty on Seattle CB Marcus Trufant set up the game-tying 40-yard field goal by Stover, and the teams headed into overtime.

The Seahawks had the initial possession in the extra period but were forced to punt. The Ravens responded with a 55-yard drive, with the key play being a 19-yard pass from Wright to Marcus Robinson in a third-and-15 situation. Stover booted a 42-yard field goal, and Baltimore came away with an improbable 44-41 win.

Reflecting the closeness of the final score, each team gained 426 yards of total offense. The Ravens had the edge in rushing yards (150 to 133) while Seattle had the most net passing yards (293 to 276). Both teams sacked the opposing quarterback six times apiece. The Seahawks gave up three turnovers, as opposed to two by Baltimore, while the Ravens were penalized 14 times for 112 yards, compared to Seattle being flagged six times for 89 yards.

Anthony Wright had a career game, completing 20 of 37 passes for 319 yards with four touchdowns – all to Marcus Robinson – and none intercepted. Robinson, for his part, caught 7 passes for 131 yards and the four TDs. Jamal Lewis gained 117 rushing yards on 26 carries.


In defeat, Matt Hasselbeck (pictured at left) was successful on 23 of 41 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Darrell Jackson was the top receiver with 7 catches for 146 yards and two of the TDs. Shaun Alexander ran for 72 yards on 22 attempts.

Said Wright afterward, “It was looking very, very dim. But we just let it all hang out. Everything came together. It's unbelievable, for us to be down as much as were and to come back.” He was then off to the hospital where his wife was expecting delivery of a baby girl.

“We let them back in the football game,” said a disappointed Mike Holmgren. “It was just a bizarre, bizarre ending.”

Referring to the failed quarterback sneak that could have sealed the game in regulation, Matt Hasselbeck said, “We just needed one more play. One more play and we could have won the game. We should have won the game, and we just didn't make it.”

The Ravens built upon the stunning comeback victory to win five of their last six games and finish first in the AFC North with a 10-6 record. They lost to Tennessee in the Wild Card playoff game. The loss to Baltimore knocked Seattle out of first place, but the Seahawks also completed the regular season at 10-6 to end up second in the NFC West. Qualifying for the postseason as a wild card, they too lost in the first round, in overtime to the Green Bay Packers, Holmgren’s previous coaching stop.

Anthony Wright’s performance was easily the greatest of his career. He ended up throwing for 1199 yards with 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in ’03, and was 5-2 as the starting quarterback. He never again came close to passing for 300 yards in a game, or tossing more than two TD passes in a contest, and missed the 2004 season altogether due to injury.

Jamal Lewis topped the NFL with 2066 yards rushing on 387 carries (5.3 avg.) with 14 touchdowns and remained the key player on offense.

Marcus Robinson’s four touchdown receptions represented two thirds of his total output of six for the year. He caught 31 passes for 451 yards (14.5 avg.) all told.

Matt Hasselbeck, who had a big passing day in defeat, ranked fourth in the NFL in passing yards (3841) and tied for third in TD passes (26). His 7.5 yards per attempt ranked fourth (tied with Peyton Manning of the Colts) and 12.3 yards per completion placed second. He was selected for the Pro Bowl.

2006: Delhomme & Smith Lead Panthers Past Boller & Ravens

Coming off of an 11-5 record in 2005 that ended with a loss in the NFC Championship game, the Carolina Panthers lost their first two contests in ’06. However, they won their next three games as they headed to Baltimore to take on the 4-1 Ravens on October 15 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Head Coach John Fox’s Panthers had been without WR Steve Smith (pictured at right) in the first two losing games due to injury, and his return had a positive impact on the offense’s performance. Smith gave the conservative, run-oriented unit a significant receiving threat. Meanwhile, Carolina had a strong defense, as did Baltimore. Under Head Coach Brian Billick, they had dipped to 6-10 in ’05 but made a significant upgrade at quarterback in acquiring 11-year veteran Steve McNair from the Titans. The Ravens entered the game with a six-game home winning streak.

McNair came out throwing, but not to great effect. The Ravens went three-and-out in the opening series, in which the veteran passed on each down, and the second possession was marked by his tossing an interception to safety Colin Branch on the third play.


QB Jake Delhomme (pictured at left) had thrown an interception to end Carolina’s first series, but after the pickoff of the McNair pass the Panthers drove 59 yards on nine plays, highlighted by pass completions of 32 and 16 yards to Smith, that culminated in a 21-yard field goal by John Kasay. On the first play of the next Baltimore possession, McNair was hit hard by LB Chris Draft and DE Mike Rucker - not only was he sacked, but the quarterback was forced to leave the game. He was replaced by backup Kyle Boller.

Boller, a fourth-year pro who had started nine games the previous season, had been relegated to the bench once McNair was obtained. However, after the teams traded fumbles and the Panthers punted early in the second quarter, Boller directed the Ravens on a 13-play, 73-yard drive that included a three-yard run in a fourth-and-one situation and ended with a touchdown pass of 14 yards to WR Mark Clayton. Baltimore was up by 7-3.

Carolina came back with an eight-play drive that also ended in a score as Delhomme connected with WR Drew Carter for a 42-yard touchdown. A 31-yard field goal by Kasay at the end of the half gave the Panthers a 13-7 lead at the intermission.

Both quarterbacks gave up interceptions in their teams’ initial second half possessions. Baltimore controlled the ball for most of the third quarter, but neither club scored. In the fourth quarter, after a long 15-play, 91-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes, Kasay kicked a 21-yard field goal to extend Carolina’s lead to 16-7. Along the way, Steve Smith gained 58 yards on three catches.

After the teams traded punts, the Ravens struck for a big play as Boller connected with Clayton for a 62-yard touchdown that narrowed the margin to 16-14. But the Panthers responded on the very next play from scrimmage with a 72-yard Delhomme-to-Smith TD pass, quieting the record crowd of 70,762.

Baltimore came back to score on the next possession, going 68 yards in seven plays highlighted by a 35-yard pass play from Boller to WR Demetrius Williams and capped with a seven-yard touchdown pass to TE Todd Heap. Once again, it was a two-point game with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

But while the Ravens had all three timeouts, they never got another chance on offense. On a key third-and-one situation at the Carolina 46, Delhomme completed a four-yard pass to Carter for a first down and the Panthers ran out the clock to win, 23-21.

Jake Delhomme completed 24 of 39 passes for 365 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Steve Smith was the recipient of 8 of those completions for 189 yards and the long TD. The aerial game had been crucial as the tough Baltimore defense held the Panthers to just 58 yards rushing on 30 attempts; RB DeShaun Foster accounted for all of the yards on 26 of the carries.


In relief, Kyle Boller (pictured at right) had a solid passing performance with 17 completions in 31 attempts for 226 yards with three touchdowns and one picked off. Mark Clayton caught 5 passes for 101 yards and two TDs; Todd Heap gained 55 yards on his 5 receptions and scored a touchdown. The Ravens were only a bit better running the ball, with a total of 80 yards, and RB Jamal Lewis accounted for 41 of that total on his nine carries; Boller took off and ran six times for 27 yards.

Overall, the Panthers gained 414 total yards, to 292 for Baltimore. Having come into the game ranked last in the league in third down conversions, Carolina converted a crucial 7 of 15, including the game-clincher at the end.

“It’s always frustrating when the other team converts third downs,” said Baltimore LB Terrell Suggs. “We wanted to get off the field, but they kept making big plays. I give them a lot of credit.”

DE Julius Peppers had two sacks and eight tackles for the Panthers and complimented the backup quarterback, Boller. “He did a good job when he came in. He got them some points and moved the ball.”

The win proved to be the high point of the season for Carolina – the Panthers lost six of their next eight games, including four straight at one point, and finished in second place in the NFC South with an 8-8 record. Baltimore went in the other direction, winning nine of their remaining ten contests to win the AFC North with a 13-3 tally. They lost to the Colts in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

Steve Smith caught 83 passes for 1166 yards (14.0 average) and eight touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time.

With Steve McNair returning to action, Kyle Boller went back to the bench and saw only limited time the rest of the way. He completed 33 of 55 passes for 485 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.