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Baltimore Ravens: Ranking the best Ray Lewis dances

By Jake McDonnell

BALTIMORE, MD - JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances in front of his teammates on the field during player introductions against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances in front of his teammates on the field during player introductions against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances on the field during introductions against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances on the field during introductions against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The Ray Lewis squirrel dance made Ravens pre-game ceremonies must-see

The first 17 seasons in the 22-year history of the Baltimore Ravens brought one of the greatest linebackers of all-time, Ray Lewis. During his time in the NFL, all with the Ravens, Lewis terrorized opposing offenses. There’s too many great Ray Lewis moments to count on one hand. You have the Eddie George strip in the 2000 playoffs, the game-saving fourth down stop on Darren Sproles in 2009, and some of the hardest hits football fans have ever seen, including this one on Chad Johnson in 2009.

Over his 17-year career, Lewis won two Super Bowls, made 13 Pro Bowls, and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2000. He played in 227 games, accumulating 1,562 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles (20 recoveries), 31 interceptions, and three touchdowns. His career resume earned him a first-ballot nomination in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018. Lewis will be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

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Watching Lewis play at M&T Bank Stadium was a treat in-and-of-itself, but as Lewis’s career progressed, he introduced the squirrel dance that became the staple of the Ravens’ pregame introductions. It was never supposed to stick, but Ravens fans loved it. It got to the point where Lewis added Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” to the theatrics, and the song fit the dance perfectly.

During Lewis career, when the starting defense was announced, there was not an empty seat in M&T Bank Stadium. That’s pretty telling. Oftentimes when the player introductions begin, many fans are still filing in from their tailgates. When fans knew ahead of time that the pregame intros would include a Lewis squirrel dance, they made sure to get to their seat in time.

Lets’ look back and remember some of the best Ray Lewis dances.

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