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BONUS STORY: Berry was involved in a championship game-winning drive in 1957 against the New York Giants. This was "the Drive." It predated anything engineered by Bradshaw, Staubach, Elway or Montana. "The Drive" showcased Johnny Unitas and Berry, who connected on three consecutive completions in a march that culminated in the game-winning score as final seconds ticked away. It kept freezing, cloud puffing fans in Yankee Stadium in a frenzy. The Baltimore Colts won, 23-17. "The Drive" may have created today's national television audiences for the National Football League. "We really didn't comprehend the significance of that game with the Giants," Berry said during a stint with a Sports Collectibles Promotions show in Dallas. "Pete Rozelle (the Commissioner) said that game changed the perception of professional football; that it brought more fans to the NFL than any other game. It certainly was the best game that Unitas and I had together." They had many in a time when image was shaped on the field, not in commercials, tabloids, cameo TV or film roles and grocery cutout displays.
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The era of the sound bite has given sports fans ways to differentiate
between one event and another. There's "the Boot," "the Catch," "the
Pass," and "the Call." There once was a time when many words were used to
expand the time associated with sports moments. That time belongs to the era
of Raymond Berry. Berry was one-time the NFL's career receptions leader,
and was one of four receivers voted to the 75th Anniversary all-time NFL
team (along with Lance Alworth, Don Hutson and Jerry Rice).