NFL Pewter Belt Buckle - Baltimore Ravens
This Baltimore Ravens belt buckle is beautifully detailed in pewter and enamel, with the team helmet and the city of Baltimore in the background.
The Baltimore Ravens began their NFL career as the Cleavland Browns, until November 6th 1995 when owner Art Modell decided he wanted to move the team, due to an inadequate stadium for the team to play in and the city of Cleavland not replacing it. This however brought about a legal battle over the team name, team colors, players and the history of the franchise. In the end it was decided that the name, colors and history would stay in Cleavland with the Browns and a team would start back up in 1999. Art Modell had to secure the contracts of the players along with personal, and where legally considered an expansion team.
Baltimore, Maryland was chosen for the Modell's new team, but is still needed to find a name after narrowing it down through numerous focus groups the list went from 100 possible choices to 3, Marauders, Americans, and Ravens, then finally there was a fan contest where fans chose from the three remaining names. Ravens was chosen for the new name, alot was due to "The Raven" a famous poem written by Edgar Allen Poe who lived the last part of his life in Baltimore and is even buried there. The Ravens mascots are even named Edgar, Allen and Poe. The colors of Black, Purple, Gold and White where chosen for the new team colors and after controversy over the logo it was settled on a Raven head.
The team got off to a slow start with three losing seasons but by 1999 it slowly started to turn around for them and in 2000 the team went on to play in Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants and won 34-7. This marked the Ravens only being the third team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl Championship as a wild card team.