20 years ago this day, the first Ravens regular season game was played

[Nightman]

I went to the first regular season home game at Memorial Stadium.  About getting a ticket, let's say I was in the right place at the right time watching the last preseason one and hearing that they released some tickets for at Ticketmaster Phone Charger. 

Here is some more about it from Yahoo sports.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/oral-history-of-96-ravens-from-dodging-m-80s-in-cleveland-to-humble-start-in-baltimore-210858487.html

[Moderator 3]

I, too, was there.  It was an incredibly emotional day.  Football was BACK!

[Nightman]

Former WBAL TV 11 Sports Anchor and Baltimore Colts radio analyst Vince Bagli summed it up how most fans feel in Baltimore at the end of the documentary "The Band that Wouldn't Die" when said "Colts-we'll never forget them, but we love the Ravens just as much!:"

[ERey]

I was there! I can't remember how I got tickets, but they were partially obstructed view. I didn't really understand the game of football that well back then. I was just excited that we had a team. I remember "Dump Trumpy" signs that I believe Nestor Aparicio was handing out. It was a great day and the Ravens won. I bought my PSLs 4 years later before the start of the 2000 season.

Edited September 1, 2016 by ERey

[berad]

That was an excellent read, worth the time if you have it

[The Mom Gene]

I felt for Cleveland. But I will also never forget that it only took them 3 years to get their team back on the field.  We had waited 12 years....  And had an NFL Commissioner who was hellbent on not giving us a team.  To this day, I think it's still a burr in the butt of the NFL and the NFL media.

I will never forget the day I stood in my parent's living room.  When I got up that morning, my dad said "DO NOT TURN THAT TV ON".  I couldn't understand why....  I always had my coffee with him.  But he was adamant.  It had snowed the night before, bad.  He left early for work that day.  I couldn't wait for him to get out of the driveway.  As soon as I knew he was gone I turned on the TV.  I can still hear Vince Bagli talking about it.  I stood there and cried my eyes out.  As a kid I went with a friend to Colts games down on 33rd.   My dad's house was 5 minutes from the Colts Facility.  It's still there... right up the street from the Castle now.

 

I still resent the Colts.  Probably something I'll never forget or get over.  When people say "it's been 12 years now, and you have your Ravens"...  that's true.  It still doesn't change what happened.  If you ever lose someone in your life that means the world to you, that person can be replaced, but you never get over or forget the person you lost.  It was like a death to some of us.

 

 

[The Mom Gene]

I still get chills when I watch this...  People don't know how hard some worked to try and get a team here.... 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvJujBb2ey8&list=PL5GekK8aP5QIJLaNeJzQ2Bq0IO_vqRAcg&index=14

 

[usmccharles]

Great article.  I didn't know about Arizona writing Ogden on a fake card,  that Green Bay was going to take Ray.   

[allblackraven]

 

Quote

David Modell: “I was all up in the Americans. I was thinking locomotives, American flag … I am even envisioning the first press conference, saying, ‘As of today, who really is ‘America’s Team?’ That would have gotten Dallas all crazy, which would have been great publicity for us.”

Haha, imagine that....