Top 50 Players In Baltimore Sports History: 40-31
38. Paul Blair, OF, Baltimore Orioles
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I’m sure many of you have heard of this guy. Paul Blair is one of the best outfielders in Orioles history. He spent 17 years in the MLB including 13 with the Orioles. He was the starting center fielder for two world series championships (1966,1970), four AL pennants, and five AL East division crowns.
He was one of baseball’s best defensive players at his position, earning the Gold Glove award eight times including seven consecutive from 1969-1975. He displayed excellent range and was brilliant at tracking fly balls. He seemed to taunt hitters by playing shallow, then running down balls hit over his head.
Blair broke into the Orioles’ lineup in 1965 and, despite hitting only .234 with five home runs and 25 runs batted in, impressed many with his defensive skills before batting .277 in 1966. In 1967 Blair established a career high .293 batting average with 11 home runs and 64 RBIs, along with an American League-leading 12 triples. After slumping to .211 in 1968, Blair had perhaps his best season in 1969. Batting second in the Orioles’ lineup, he hit .285 with career highs in home runs (26), runs batted in (76) and runs (102). He also made the All-Star team for the first time in his career; he would repeat this feat in 1973.
37. Raymond Berry, WR, Baltimore Colts
Berry did not find success in his high school career. In fact, he started very few games. When his second NFL season came along, he became a permanent starter. During his career, he led the NFL in receptions three times and was renowned for his great hands and precise pass patterns, dropping a total of two passes in his career . He fumbled only once in his entire career.
From 1956-1966 he topped 600 receiving yards in each of those years and caught for over 700 in eight of those. He was perhaps the best receiver that legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas ever had. One of Berry’s most notable performances was in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” in which he caught a championship-record 12 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. During the Baltimore Colts’ final game-winning drive in overtime, Berry had two key receptions for 33 yards. He also caught three consecutive passes for 62 yards to set up the Colts’ tying field goal at the end of regulation.
Raymond Berry ended his NFL career in 1967 with an NFL record 631 receptions for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns (14.7 yards per catch). In 1973, Berry was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.