Baltimore Sports Trivia

Baltimore has a rich sports history, much of which is centered on the success and stars of the city's professional baseball and football teams. Baseball's Baltimore Orioles have their share of Hall of Famers and thrilling playoff and World Series moments, while the city's National Football League history is divided between the Baltimore Colts and the Baltimore Ravens.

  1. Baltimore Orioles

    • The Baltimore Orioles' first season was in 1954, when they went an uninspiring 54-100. However, the team, formerly the St. Louis Browns, drew more than 1 million fans during their inaugural season. The Orioles won the World Series in 1966 and 1970 with the batting averages of Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson, and the pitching of Jim Palmer (the only O's pitcher to have his number retired by the team), as well as pitchers Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson. In 1971, those four pitchers each won at least 20 games, a feat that hadn't been duplicated by any other team as of 2010. Though the Orioles have had Hall of Famers and outstanding players, the team's all-time leader in many categories is Cal Ripken, Jr., who smashed one of the legendary records in all of sports by playing in 2,632 consecutive games from 1982 to 1998.

    Baltimore Colts

    • The Baltimore Colts flourished from their first season in 1947. Their colors were silver and green, as opposed to the blue and white for which they would be known soon after. The most famous Colt is Johnny Unitas, who led the team from the mid-1950s until well into the '70s. Unitas helped lead the Colts to their first NFL championship in 1958 and later a victory in Super Bowl V. The Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984.

    Baltimore Ravens

    • Just as Baltimore lost the Colts to another city, it gained a new NFL team in 1996. The Cleveland Browns announced plans in 1995 to move to Baltimore the following season. While the announcement broke the hearts of Cleveland football fans, it sparked excitement in Baltimore, who turned out in force for the Ravens' first season in 1996. The Ravens won their first Super Bowl championship in 2001. The Ravens took their name from the poem by Baltimore native Edgar Allen Poe.

    Baltimore Bullets

    • Basketball fans may recall hearing about the Baltimore Bullets, an old NBA team that eventually disbanded about a quarter of the way through the 1954 to 55 season. Many may assume that the Washington Bullets, who later became the Wizards, simply go back that far and took on the name during a change in location. Actually, the Baltimore Bullets had two incarnations in the city. After the first team folded in 1955, the NBA allowed the Chicago Zephyrs to re-locate to Baltimore in 1963. Naming themselves after the city's original NBA team, the new Bullets played in Baltimore until the team relocated a few miles away to Landover, Maryland, and were renamed the Capitol Bullets in 1973. In 1974, the name was changed to the Washington Bullets.

    Born or Raised in Baltimore

    • Baltimore also has quite a collection of sports-related figures who were either born in the city or grew up there. The most famous is George Herman "Babe" Ruth, who was born and raised in Baltimore, but made his name up the coast in New York as a Yankee. Another all-time great, Cal Ripken, Jr., was born in Maryland and spent his entire professional career with the Orioles organization. Other stars, such as basketball's Carmelo Anthony, grew up in Baltimore, though he was born in New York City. NFL draft expert and ESPN personality Mel Kiper, Jr., was also born and raised in Baltimore.