Monday, Dec. 29, 2008

Raymond Berry

The Game: Sports Illustrated noted that the Colts receiver had "a bad back and one leg shorter than the other so that he wears mud cleats on that shoe to equalize them. His eyes are so bad that he must wear contact lenses when he plays." Yet, Berry turned in an impeccable performance back in '58, catching 12 balls for 178 yards and a touchdown. On Baltimore's last minute drive that forced overtime, Berry caught three straight passes for 62 yards. After the game Berry said: "It's the greatest thing that ever happened."

Post-Game: Ended his NFL career in 1967 as the most prolific receiver in history, having caught a then-record 631 receptions for 9,275 yards. Reached the Hall of Fame in 1973, and coached the New England Patriots from 1984 to 1989. Berry led New England to Super Bowl XX, but the Chicago Bears crushed the Pats, 46-10.