BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Ravens celebrated their Super Bowl victory with a parade from City Hall to M&T Bank Stadium on Tuesday. Fans began lining up along the parade route in the early hours of the morning.
“I got here at 11 o’clock last night,” Ravens fan Ken Buck said. “I didn’t want to miss this monument[al] occasion and to say thank you to the Ravens and to Mr. (Ray) Lewis.”
Speaking to the crowd, coach John Harbaugh reminded the fans of what he told them at a rally before the team left for the SuperBowl.
“We said we were going to take all the Baltimore Ravens fans down to the Superdome with us in our hearts and you were there,” Harbaugh said. “And, oh yeah, all the fans in the stands, we heard you.”
Longtime Raven Ed Reed sang “Two Tickets to Paradise,” with his son atop his shoulders.
Lewis thanked the fans and counted down the start of the parade.
“We told you we were going down to New Orleans for one thing and one thing only,” Lewis said, holding the Lombardi trophy. “We told you guys all year no weapon formed against us shall prosper. This is the Ravens’ time, this is our year.”
An estimated 200,000 people joined the celebration throughout the city. Some local employers gave their employees an extended two hour lunch break to participate in the festivities.
Video by Jocelyn Rubin / CNS-TV