Baltimore Ravens Coach Thanks School for National Recognition

A visitor to Seven Oaks Elementary School on the afternoon of February 5 might have sensed the excitement hovering in the halls.

Maybe it was how the place looked – purple t-shirts, jackets, and hats adorning nearly every student and teacher. Maybe it was the flash from camera after camera that greeted the visitor as he made his way to the school’s gymnasium. Or maybe it was the deafening cheer that filled the gym as the visitor entered and waved to nearly 500 Seven Oak children, teachers, and parents.

Maybe all the excitement was understandable: Baltimore Ravens Head Coach Brian Billick was in the house.

Pumped by the applause of so many Ravens fans (and possible future football players), Billick took the floor at Seven Oaks to receive the honor of “Coach of the Week,” sponsored by the Staples office supply company. The honor recognizes Billick’s hard work and dedication to the Ravens and was bestowed upon him during the NFL regular season.

The Seven Oaks ceremony, however, recognized that Billick’s nomination for the award originated with Donna Radcliffe, the Seven Oaks school librarian, who wrote to the Staples contest last year to place the Ravens’ coach’s name in play.

Radcliffe’s fan mail had an added benefit for Seven Oaks, too. Not only were she, PrincipalCarol Wingard, and a group of students and staff featured on a video clip last year cheering for their hometown team and coach during the Ravens’ game with Seattle, but also Staples rewarded Radcliffe’s nomination by donating $5,000 to the school.

During Billick’s visit, representatives from Staples joined with him, Principal Wingard, and Ms. Radcliffe in holding aloft an oversized check for the school, drawing a roar from students and adults alike. But it was Billick’s comments that electrified the school’s student body.

A master motivational speaker, Billick drew comparisons between coaching and playing for a Super Bowl-winning football team and excelling in school. He acknowledged that success comes from the hard work, spirit, and devotion of both the Ravens players as well as Seven Oaks students. And he stressed the importance of teamwork and cooperation in meeting goals.

“It doesn’t matter how bigger or faster a player is,” Billick said. “It’s how well a player works with his team; that’s what I look for.”

Teamwork was a constant theme. Had Ms. Radcliffe not been devoted to Seven Oaks and its students – an example of teamwork in action, he said – the school would have never seen Billick or the Staples award.

Later, the Ravens coach stood just outside the gymnasium and shook the hand of all 420 Seven Oaks students as they filed back to their classrooms – as well as quite a few hands of excited faculty and parents. Each child also collected a football key ring to commemorate the event, and many asked an obliging Billick to sign scraps of paper, jerseys, footballs, and other paraphernalia.

For some, the chance to meet Billick, even for a second, was a moment to savor. “I love the Ravens!” Brooks W., 6 and in the first grade, proudly proclaimed.

“Give him two (keychains)!” Billick, approving, roared as he enveloped the boy’s hand in his own beefy paw.

“Wow!” Brooks said as he fell back into line with his classmates. “I’m never washing this hand now!”

See event photos

Story by Lorraine LaPrade, Towson High School and Charles Herndon Photos by Charles Herndon, BCPS Communications Officer