UNITAS AMONG HALL INDUCTEES; RAVENS GO THROUGH 'HARD KNOCKS'

By Joe Platania

1972 -- The Colts' Gino Marchetti, one of the finest defensive ends to ever play in the NFL, was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

1973 -- It was a Colts-laden celebration at the Hall of Fame, as the three-man induction class included Baltimore left tackle Jim Parker and wide receiver Raymond Berry.

1976 -- Ex-Morgan State defensive end Len Ford was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his years with the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers.

1976 -- Ravens center Matt Birk was born in St. Paul, Minn.

1979 -- Colts quarterback John Constantine Unitas became a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee when he was admitted into the ranks of the greats. It was quite a stellar class, one that also included Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus.

1984 -- Mike McCormack, a former Cleveland Browns lineman who later became the Colts' head coach, was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

1985 -- Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain was born in Philadelphia.

1985 -- Ravens cornerback/special teamer Corey Graham was born in Buffalo.

1987 -- Ravens tight end Ed Dickson was born in Bellflower, Calif.

1988 -- Cornerback and Ravens 2011 first-round pick Jimmy Smith was born in Colton, Calif.

1996 -- With nondescript uniforms and few, if any, fans in attendance, the Ravens began their first-ever training camp at Western Maryland College in Westminster, the same location at which the Baltimore Colts had trained from 1953-71.

1997 -- Former Colts defensive back and head coach Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1999 -- As training camp neared, three of the Ravens' four-man draft class signed their first pro contracts: Arizona cornerback Chris McAlister, Southwest Louisiana receiver Brandon Stokley and Arizona guard Edwin Mulitalo.

2000 -- The Ravens' top draft pick (fifth overall), University of Tennessee running back Jamal Lewis, signed his rookie contract.

2001 -- The defending Super Bowl champion Ravens opened their training camp at Western Maryland College with dozens of HBO and NFL Films cameras in tow, as they were the subjects of the first-ever "Hard Knocks" series.

2002 -- The Ravens opened training camp in the same Westminster locale, but the campus had a new name: McDaniel College.

2003 -- A passing of the defensive torch took place within three days: the Ravens terminated the contract of veteran defensive end Michael McCrary and fourth-round draft pick and ex-Alabama linebacker Jarret Johnson signed a three-year rookie deal.

2006 -- The Ravens' first-round draft pick, Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, signed a five-year rookie contract and reported to training camp.

2007 -- The offensive line got a boost by the signings of supplemental draft pick Jared Gaither (Maryland) and top draft pick Ben Grubbs (Auburn). Also, the team's fifth-round draft pick, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith of Ohio State, signed a three-year contract.

2010 -- For the 15th and final time since they moved to Baltimore, the Ravens began their training camp in Westminster. Thanks in part to the NFL lockout and to moving expenses, camp was moved to their Owings Mills facility the following year.

Posted July 23, 2012