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where were the ravens before baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens NFL franchise came from the Cleveland Browns, who relocated to Baltimore in 1996, so the team was in Cleveland before it was in Baltimore.

Quick Scoop

  • The modern Baltimore Ravens began when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell decided to move his franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore after the 1995 season.
  • As part of an agreement with the NFL and the city of Cleveland, the Browns’ name, colors, and historical records stayed in Cleveland for a future team, while the relocated football operation in Baltimore became a “new” franchise called the Ravens.
  • The Ravens name was chosen in 1996, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven,” connecting the new team’s identity to Baltimore’s literary history.

So, in simple terms: before they were the Baltimore Ravens, that organization’s players and staff were the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Ohio.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.