Raymond Berry, Hall of Fame receiver and Patriots coach who led club to first Super Bowl, dies at 93

The New England Patriots announced Sunday that Raymond Berry, the Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver who later coached the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance, has died. He was 93.

In a team announcement dated June 1, the Patriots said Berry died May 25, 2026, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. No cause of death was given. The team said Berry is survived by his wife, Sally, three children and nine grandchildren.

Berry was one of the NFL’s defining receivers in the league’s pre-merger era. He spent his entire playing career with the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967 after being drafted in the 20th round, 232nd overall, in 1954. He played college football at Schreiner Institute and SMU. Berry finished with 631 receptions, 9,275 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns in the regular season, and when he retired he was the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

Among the signature moments of his career was the 1958 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants, often called “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” Berry is widely credited with 12 catches for 178 yards in the Colts’ victory, a performance that helped cement his standing as one of the game’s top pass catchers on the Johnny Unitas-era Colts.

Berry’s legacy in New England came later. He took over the Patriots midway through the 1984 season and remained head coach for five seasons. In 1985, New England went 11-5, won the AFC title and advanced to Super Bowl XX, the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The Patriots lost that game to the Chicago Bears 46-10. Biographical summaries commonly report Berry’s record as Patriots head coach as 48-39.

The Patriots’ announcement included reflections from former players and coaches on Berry’s leadership in New England. Former Patriots offensive lineman Pete Brock said, “He spent the rest of that season getting to know the players. He knew everybody's names, their spouses, their families… he made us all feel like we were part of something.”

Berry’s career gave him a place in two important chapters of pro football history: first as a Hall of Fame receiver who retired holding major NFL receiving records, and later as the coach who led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl.