SMU, 1955
• 1954 Academic All-America®
Raymond Berry was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1993.
Raymond Berry graduated from Paris High School in Texas and attended Schreiner Junior College in Kerrville for one year before transferring to Southern Methodist University. As a sophomore Berry caught only five passes at SMU and just 11 more during his junior season. Although Berry had never started a game, he was elected as co-captain in 1954.
Berry was the leader of a standout Mustang team that finished with a 6-3-1 overall record and a 4-1-1 mark in conference play. Despite all of his physical ailments, Berry made consensus All-SWC in a year in which he caught only 16 passes. Throughout his career, Berry faced numerous physical difficulties including poor vision, a congenital back condition that forced him to wear a back brace underneath his uniform padding, and one leg that was shorter than the other. Berry’s 32 catches at SMU do not illustrate his “ceaseless attention to detail and a tireless work ethic.”
After SMU Berry signed with the Baltimore Colts in 1955. By his second season with the Colts he was a permanent starter, not missing a game until his eighth year. During his career Berry was a dedicated player and continuous learner. He regularly worked with his quarterback after practice to develop the timing and knowledge of each other's abilities, making each more effective. His great record shows his hard work but which is also demonstrated by the fact that, in a 13-year career, he fumbled the football only once.
Berry led the NFL in receptions three times, and was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, from 1957-61 and in 1965. He also made the all-NFL team from 1958-1960. During his time with the Colts the team had two NFL championship wins. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
Berry joined the New England Patriots as receivers coach under Chuck Fairbanks in 1978. Berry left coaching for a short time and worked in the private sector in Medfield, Mass., until the Patriots fired Ron Meyer in the middle of the 1984 season and hired Berry to replace him. Under Berry, the Patriots won 4 of their last 8 games and finished the season with a 9-7 record. Berry concluded his NFL coaching career after the 1989 season with a record of 48-39 in the regular season and 3-2 in the playoffs. In 1999, he was ranked No. 40 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.