Former Ravens President DAVID MODELL, "considered an architect" of the team that won Super Bowl XXXV in '01, "died of lung cancer Friday" at the age of 55, according to Jacques Kelly of the Baltimore SUN. Ravens Owner STEVE BISCIOTTI in a statement said, "Above all, he was a sweet, kind man who helped me when I was first involved." Baltimore Sun columnist MIKE PRESTON said, "David hated losing." After Modell's father, the late former Ravens Owner ART MODELL, moved the team to Baltimore from Cleveland, David "worked with the selection of the Ravens' team colors, its logo and the design of its uniforms." He also "launched a campaign to hire a head coach and supervised the opening of what is now M&T Bank Stadium" in '98. Modell "led Modell Ventures and was chairman of 3ality Digital, a 3-D entertainment venture." Information about services was not immediately available (Baltimore SUN, 1/14). RAVENS.com's John Eisenberg wrote Modell was "funny" and "smart." Modell took on a "big role in the front office" once the Ravens moved to Baltimore. Eisenberg: "Some were entitled, others over their heads. David was neither." He was "organized, determined and charming, and he wound up having a huge impact." His passing "robs the Ravens of a chunk of their original foundation" (BALTIMORERAVENS.com, 1/14). In Cleveland, Terry Pluto wrote, "When I heard David Modell died, I had this strange feeling. It was sadness" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 1/15). Also in Cleveland, Bill Livingston wrote Modell "lacked his father's way with a disarming quip and his father's grit as a self-made man who accrued a great deal of power in the NFL, but never enough money." Livingston: "David came off as entitled" (CLEVELAND.com, 1/14).
