Baltimore Ravens

1996–1998


The Baltimore Ravens were founded on February 9, 1996, after the NFL agreed to relocate the original Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore while allowing the city of Cleveland to retain the Browns' records and history (the Browns would be reactivated in 1999); this would mark the NFL's return to Baltimore for the first time since the Baltimore Colts had relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. The new Baltimore team's name was chosen as the Ravens, an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 poem The Raven, following a fan contest that drew over 30,000 voters.

The Ravens' original logo was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Frederick E. Bouchat, a local Maryland artist and security guard who had submitted a similar design that ultimately went unused.

1999–present


In 1999, the Ravens changed their primary logo to a purple raven with the gold letter "B" on its side. This came after the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the previous logo infringed on the copyright of an unused design. The new logo was introduced after The Baltimore Sun ran a poll showing three potential helmet designs, one of which showed a profile of a raven head. The current logo was introduced after then-Ravens owner Art Modell stated that he would honor fans' preference but still wanted a "B" somewhere in the logo.