RAYMOND BERRY BORN; CAP-STRAPPED RAVENS BLOW UP ROSTER IN '02

By Joe Platania

1933 -- Baltimore Colts wide receiver and Hall of Fame member Raymond Berry was born in Corpus Christi, Texas.

1965 -- Ravens secondary coach Teryl Austin was born in Sharon, Penn.

1967 -- Ravens senior personnel assistant George Kokinis was born in Wethersfield, Conn.

1974 -- NFL owners, satisfied with the way commissioner Pete Rozelle handled the AFL-NFL merger and with the game's growth, gave him a new 10-year contract.

1983 -- Ravens defensive assistant Matt Weiss was born in Cheshire, Conn.

1997 -- The Ravens re-signed unrestricted free agent receiver Michael Jackson, but cut loose one of his former Cleveland Browns teammates, safety Eric Turner.

2001 -- After having benched former starting quarterback Tony Banks midway through the previous season, the team released him.

2002 -- During a two-day span, the Ravens attempted to get out of salary-cap trouble by jettisoning 10 veteran players, most of whom had been part of the team's Super Bowl-winning nucleus. Among those released were tight end Shannon Sharpe, defensive tackles Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa, safety Rod Woodson, wideout Qadry Ismail, defensive end Rob Burnett and fullback Sam Gash.

2007 -- The Ravens terminated the contract of running back and 2000 first-round draft pick Jamal Lewis, after seven seasons and setting team records of 7,801 rushing yards, 45 rushing touchdowns and 47 total scores.

2008 -- Center Mike Flynn failed his physical and the team terminated his contract. He had played 11 seasons for the Ravens at right guard and center, coming to the squad as an undrafted free agent from the University of Maine.

2009 -- During the same week, the Ravens signed a pair of unrestricted free agents: veteran cornerback and Baltimore native Domonique Foxworth as well as longtime Minnesota Vikings center Matt Birk.

2011 -- Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata signed his one-year franchise tender just two weeks before the NFL lockout began. He signed a long-term deal in late September.

2011 -- The NFL adopted a new standardized medical sideline protocol with regard to evaluating players that may have suffered concussions during games.

Posted Feb. 28, 2012