MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

[photo, Baltimore Ravens fans at Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland]
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    On February 3, 2013, the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl, in New Orleans, defeating the San Francisco 49ers.

    Baltimore Ravens fans at Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland, February 2013. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Johnny Unitas: The Golden Arm statue, by Frederick Kail, before M & T Bank Stadium, West Hamburg St., Baltimore, Maryland]

    PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL
    The     Baltimore Colts first began as a team in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949. They joined the National Football League (NFL) in 1950, but folded that same year.

    In 1953, a new team called the Baltimore Colts debuted and they played at Memorial Stadium until 1983. The Colts made it to the postseason ten times, winning the Championship in 1958, 1959, and 1968. In 1971, the Colts won Super Bowl V.

    Despite the success of the Colts, tensions arose with the City of Baltimore regarding a new stadium. Several proposals were made to solve the problem, including the renovation of Memorial Stadium, as well as the construction of a new facility near the Inner Harbor, but they fell through. With the NFL's permission and despite legal action by the State, on March 29, 1984, at 2:00 a.m., the Colts' owner, Robert Irsay, moved the team to Indianapolis.

    Johnny Unitas: The Golden Arm statue (2002), by Frederick Kail. The statue of the Baltimore Colts' quarterback appears on the north side of M & T Bank Stadium, West Hamburg St., Baltimore, Maryland, April 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    As part of the short-lived U.S. Football League, a professional football league aimed at spring and summer markets, Maryland was home to the Baltimore Stars during 1985. The Stars had relocated to Baltimore from Philadelphia, and played at the University of Maryland's Byrd Stadium (now Maryland Stadium) in College Park. The Baltimore Stars won the USFL Championship at East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 14, 1985, defeating the Oakland Invaders. Although scheduled to play at Memorial Stadium during the 1986 season, the League ceased operation, and the team only played one season in Maryland.

    From 1994 to 1995, the Baltimore Stallions, a team in the Canadian Football League (CFL), played at Memorial Stadium. They had winning records both years and became the first American team to win the League's Grey Cup trophy.

    [photo, M & T Bank Stadium, West Hamburg St., Baltimore, Maryland] The Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League debuted in the 1996 season at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. In 1998, a 69,300-seat stadium was completed to host the team. Formerly called Ravens Stadium, it was renamed M & T Bank Stadium in 2003. The Stadium is part of Baltimore's Camden Yards sports complex.

    M & T Bank Stadium, West Hamburg St., Baltimore, Maryland, April 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Poe, the Baltimore Ravens mascot, Maryland State Fair, Timonium, Maryland] The Ravens won the Super Bowl championship in 2001 and 2013.

    From the franchise's inception in 1996, the Ravens had held their summer training camp , open to the public, at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. In the summer of 2011, however, the Ravens began holding their training at their practice facility, now known as the Under Armour Performance Center, in Owings Mills. There, practices no longer are open to the public.

    In the National Women's Football Association, the Baltimore Burn debuted in April 2001 with nine other teams. The Burn plays at the Community College of Baltimore County (Dundalk Campus).

    Poe, the Baltimore Ravens mascot, Maryland State Fair, Timonium, Maryland, September 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

    The Washington Redskins National Football League team plays at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. The Stadium opened in 1997 and seats 80,116 people.

    Minor league semi-professional football teams also compete in Maryland. The Arbutus Big Red Football Team, for example, is sponsored by the Arbutus Athletic Association, and competes in the Mason-Dixon Football League.

    COLLEGE FOOTBALL
    The     University of Maryland, College Park, won the Gator Bowl on January 1, 2004, beating West Virginia 41-7.

    On November 19, 2012, the University of Maryland, College Park announced it would join the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2014. Since 1953, the University has been part of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

    Navy football is played at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Opened in 1959, the Stadium seats 30,000. It is home to the midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy athletics department. On December 22, 2005, Navy beat Colorado State University 51-30 in the Poinsettia Bowl.

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