Top 50 Players In Baltimore Sports History: Countdown 20-11

3 of 5

16. Jamal Lewis, RB, Baltimore Ravens

For much of the first decade in the 21st century, Lewis was all the offense that the Ravens had. Regarded as the best available tailback alongside Thomas Jones, Lewis was the fifth pick overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. In his rookie season, he rushed for over 1,300 yards, supplanting Priest Holmes as the team’s starting running back. Lewis rushed for 103 yards and scored a touchdown in the game, becoming only the second rookie ever to rush for over 100 yards in a Super Bowl and the youngest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl (21).

In the 2003 season, Lewis led the NFL in rushing with 2,066 yards, falling just 39 yards short of the all-time single season rushing record, which remains Eric Dickerson‘s 2,105 yards in 1984. To this day, only seven players have eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. On September of 2003, Lewis also broke Corey Dillon‘s single-game rushing record of 278 yards by running for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns. Lewis was rewarded by being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. Lewis’ single-game rushing record was later broken by Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings in 2007 when he ran for 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers.

After the 2005 season, the Baltimore Ravens declined to place the franchise tag on Lewis, making him an unrestricted free agent after the end of the season. He played six years in Baltimore, rushing for 7,801 yards and 45 touchdowns including rushing for at least 1,300 yards and seven touchdowns in three of his six years. He finished off his career in Cleveland and brought over his success from Baltimore. He rushed for 1,304 yards in 2007, 1,002 yards in 2008, and rushed just 143 times for 500 yards in 2009 before retiring following the 2009 season.

15. John Mackey, TE, Baltimore Colts

Mackey was drafted from Syracuse University by the Baltimore Colts in the 1963 NFL Draft. He went on to play a total of 10 NFL seasons at tight end, and he became known for his size and speed. Mackey played his first nine seasons with the Colts before leaving the team in 1971. He played his final season with the San Diego Chargers, retiring at the end of the 1972 season. Although a knee injury forced him into early retirement, Mackey only missed one game in his whole career.

Mackey totaled over 700 receiving yards in three of his first four years and topped 600 yards in five of his first six. His longest career play was an 89-yard reception that he recorded in the 1966 season. He averaged over 20 yards-per-reception in 1963 and 1965. In his final season as a Colt, Mackey played in Super Bowl V in 1971. He was involved in a famous game-changing play where he caught a record-setting 75-yard pass from quarterback Johnny Unitas after the ball was deflected twice, once by fellow Colts player Eddie Hinton and once by opposing Dallas Cowboys defenfrt Mel Renfro. Baltimore won the game 16–13, following a 32-yard field goal by Jim O’Brien with five seconds left.

During his 10 seasons in the NFL, Mackey scored 38 touchdowns and caught 331 passes for 5236 yards. Mackey played in five Pro Bowls and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, becoming only the second tight end to be inducted.

Home/Baltimore Sports