Retirement Can't Stop Ogden from Giving Back

By: Keith Mills

The big man stood in the corner of the practice field at McDaniel College with a hat, not a helmet, on his head and flip-flops, not cleats, on his feet. He was joined by three other former members of the Ravens who gathered for the first day of training camp with the future Hall of Famer not on the field but on the sidelines.

Jonathan Ogden has missed the start of training camp before, but this was the first time the Ravens took the field without him on the roster.

"Do you miss it?"

"Not this," Ogden laughed. "Talk to me on Sept. 7."

That's when the Ravens open their season at M&T Bank Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals. Until then, Ogden will be a welcome guest at training camp along with former offensive linemen Mike Flynn, Spencer Folau and Wally Williams, who formed an imposing quartet while watching the team's first full-squad practice.

Ogden will also continue to support local high school football through the Jonathan Ogden Foundation. Since joining the Ravens in 1996, Ogden has helped send hundreds of local student athletes to college, the most from Patterson High School in East Baltimore, where Ogden formed a partnership almost 10 years ago that has made a huge difference in the lives of the players and their families.

"I was looking for a place where I could do the most good, and they were a school that hit the criteria of what I was looking for," Ogden said. "If you're going to get, you have got to give. That's just the way I've always felt."

Ogden went to St. Alban's Schools in Washington, D.C., where he was named the area's Player of the Year in football by USA Today as a senior in 1991. After an All-American career at UCLA, he joined the Ravens and immediately began supporting local high school football.

At Patterson, Ogden worked with former coach Roger Wrenn to create the Play It Smart Program and hire Kelley Bagdarsarian, who was named the school's academic coach for football in 2000. The results have been staggering. In eight years, 98 percent of Patterson football players have graduated and 84 percent have gone on to college or technical schools. The team's overall grade point average has risen 17 percent while Clippers players have logged more than 1,800 hours of community service.

Ogden also donated $100,000 for the renovation of Utz Twardowicz Field at Patterson Park, and helped buy new uniforms and equipment for every Baltimore City Public School football program. He has also invited 150 area high school players to Ravens games as his guests the last nine years.

"After years in the NFL, you sometimes forget that you were 17," Ogden said. "But I remember when I was their age and how I looked up to Redskins players. There was definitely a 'wow' factor there. I met Darrell Green at a young age and he made an impression. That's all I was really hoping to do."

Ogden retired after playing 12 years with the Ravens as the team's incomparable left tackle. As an organization, the Ravens have been incredibly generous in supporting local high school football with Ed Reed, Daniel Wilcox, Ray Lewis, Jason Brown and a variety of other Ravens giving their time, money and other resources to area teams as well. Ogden's Play It Smart program at Patterson, Forest Park and other area schools will continue.

"I'm proud of what I did on the field, but at the same time how many lives did we affect?" Ogden said.

"Football's over for me, but I can still affect lives. Still, to this day that's what I'm trying to do. That is really what it's all about for me right now."

Issue 3.31: July 31, 2008