Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome, Dick Cass and John Harbaugh

Posted Jan 19, 2008

By BaltimoreRavens.com



Owner Steve Bisciotti's opening statement: "Thank you for being here. I want to introduce John Harbaugh, the third coach in Ravens history.


Owner Steve Bisciotti's opening statement: "Thank you for being here. I want to introduce John Harbaugh, the third coach in Ravens history. We're very excited about it and we hope you are, too. We've worked very hard in the last few weeks and we're very proud to introduce him. I'm very proud of the group I put together to help him get here. Before we get to John, I want to talk about how we got to John and I want to mention some people. As you all know, it was documented, [assistant director of pro personnel] Vince Newsome, [director of pro personnel] George Kokinis, [director of college scouting] Eric DeCosta, [senior vice president of public and community relations] Kevin Byrne, [general manager Ozzie Newsome], [team president] Dick [Cass] and I put this together – and [vice president of football administration] Pat Moriarty, excuse me. Getting this to a manageable number was something that I had very, very little input into because it was about coaches and their reputations in the League and their accomplishments. Dick and I relied on that group to put together a list of people that they thought we should consider for a number of reasons. And, then they went about doing their work and doing background and finding out all they could about these people. They asked for a million opinions, they got some unsolicited calls of support for a lot of these candidates. This was fairly easy for me because I've done this my whole life. Hiring people is something that I've had a lot of experience doing, and I also had the luxury of a blueprint from what the Modells put together nine years ago in finding Brian Billick, and it made it very easy for us. Ozzie went through that process and he was the lead in this thing. It made it extremely efficient and organized, and we ultimately came down with six candidates that they thought were worthy of putting in front of us. I have to tell you, I spoke to [Falcons owner] Art Blank and some of the other owners recently and said that the effort that these gentleman put in for me and the credibility they have in the League to get straight answers gave me six candidates that I could have chosen to be the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. I want to thank them all, because without their help this would have been a stab in the dark.

"We have John here. John, as all of you know, comes from a football background, a family of football people and a special teams background, which to some is a disadvantage and to others it's quite an advantage. He's dealing with the entire team, he's dealing with Pro Bowlers, he's dealing with the 53rd man on the roster and making him feel like his contribution is/could be the most important one of the day. And, he's done that very successfully. This is a great day for us. I talked with Art Modell when we made the decision and I want to reiterate the support that I've always gotten from him, how much it means to us, how much it is part of our history here. And, this is not a 12-year history. I'm pulling on the history of Baltimore football and I'm pulling from the history of Art Modell since 1961 and the talents of Ozzie and Kevin and Dick and everybody else involved. So, I'm very fortunate to have their support and I am very happy to introduce you to John Harbaugh."

Head coach John Harbaugh opening statement: "Thanks, Steve. I just want to thank Mr. Modell, first of all, for the good advice that he just gave me. Going forward, I have always been a fan of your organization since I was a kid – thanks to my dad and growing up in Ohio. So, thank you for that advice. I want to say thanks to Mr. Bisciotti, to Ozzie Newsome, [and] to Dick Cass for this tremendous opportunity. I'm a football coach, I've been a football coach for a long time and I'm proud to be the football coach of the Baltimore Ravens. This is an opportunity of a career, and it's a dream of ours that we've had for a long time. And, we can't wait to get started; we can't wait to go to work. So, thank you. These guys right here that Steve was just talking about… You guys put us through a grueling process. I'm so impressed with what you did, the questions you asked – two long days in here – were about as thorough as it could possibly be, about as detailed as it could possibly be, and it made me think. And, I'm sure it was with the other five guys as well. So, it's just a very impressive group. You guys did a great job and I appreciate it. Thank you very much. My family – my dad, Jack; my mom, Jackie – they're the two best parents anybody could ever have, Steve. My wife, Ingrid, who is the greatest coach's wife you could ever have… Thanks for all the years as my best friend. My little daughter, Alison, is here, too. We couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of the Baltimore community and we're excited to be here. It's a good football town. [There are] a lot of good people in this town. We can't wait to get going. I just want you to know that I wouldn't be sitting here right now with this chance if it weren't for coach Andy Reid up in Philadelphia. He's been a great friend, he's a great coach, he's been my mentor for nine years now. Coach Reid, if you're out there watching, I appreciate it and I'm not going to forget all the great lessons that you taught me. And, all the people in Philadelphia, [Eagles owner] Jeffrey Lurie and the kind of organization that he runs… It's like the organization here in Baltimore. I know a first-class organization when I see one because I've seen it for the last 10 years in Philadelphia. So, thanks to Jeffrey and [Eagles president] Joe Banner and all the coaches there – Jim Johnson especially, who is maybe the best defensive coach I've ever seen. And, for all the things you've done for me, Jim, I appreciate that, too. A special shout out here to the Philadelphia [media members]. I see the Philadelphia beat writers sitting over here. I appreciate you guys coming down. Man, it's good to see you. So, that's what I got."