The Baltimore Ravens entered the NFL in 1996 and needed to find their first-ever head coach. Ted Marchibroda seemed like a solid choice for the newest Baltimore franchise considering he had coached the Baltimore Colts from 1975 to 1979 and had a winning record during his time there.
Marchibroda had been on a roll during his first three years with the Colts, going 10-4, 11-3, and 10-4 right out of the gates. Unfortunately, his final two years led to identical 5-11 campaigns and he was relieved of his duties following the 1979 season.
While Marchibroda spent time with the Colts again (this time in Indianapolis) in the early 1990s and coached there for four years. Despite leading the team to an AFC Championship appearance in the 1995 season, Marchibroda opted not to return to his head coaching role when the two sides couldn't agree on a new contract.
Fast forward to six days later, when the newest Baltimore NFL franchise elected to bring Marchibroda back to his original head coaching roots and hired him to be the first-ever head coach of the Ravens. History did not repeat itself, unfortunately, and the Ravens struggled in their first three years as a franchise, capturing records of 4-12, 6-9-1, and 6-10, eventually leading to Marchibroda not being retained.
Why Ted Marchibroda is an easy call as Ravens' worst head coach
After Marchibroda wasn't retained, the Ravens hired Brian Billick and well, the rest is history. The Ravens went on to win a Super Bowl just two years into Billick's Ravens tenure and just five years into their history, which is impressive.
Billick was the Ravens' head coach for nine years and in 2008, the organization hired John Harbaugh, who was held onto the job ever since. Considering both Billick and Harbaugh have led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title during their tenures, it'd be impossible to rank them under Marchibroda.
Yes, Marchibroda had to deal with running a new NFL team (the Ravens did not count as a traditional expansion team) but still, the choice is easy. Two guys with Super Bowl titles or a guy who never had a winning record in his three years on the job. There's no other possible option for the Ravens' worst head coach in franchise history.